Crushing season realities: productivity pressure, fatigue risk, and workforce expectations

The sugar sector’s IR settings are shaped by seasonality and operational intensity. When the crush is underway, the workforce experience is defined by long shifts, fatigue controls, maintenance pressures and the practical limits of “just do more” approaches.

Where disputes arise, they typically start as operational issues: hours, call-ins, staffing levels, contractor control, or the practical meaning of consultation when plans change quickly due to weather or milling constraints.

This month’s IR attention points:

• Fatigue and total hours: where overtime becomes the default, the question turns from “can we do it” to “is it safe and sustainable”.

• Contractor interfaces during maintenance: role clarity and supervision lines matter more when the site is under time pressure.

• Agreement readiness: even if the workforce is cooperative during the crush, unresolved issues have a habit of reappearing during bargaining or planned maintenance periods.

Practical focus this month

• Confirm fatigue controls are operationally realistic (not paper controls).

• Tighten contractor governance for maintenance windows (supervision, permits, competency evidence).

• Ensure the consultative committee is actually used for scheduling change decisions.

• Review classification and higher duties practices in “step up” periods.

Data snapshot (selected)

• Queensland sugarcane production sold (2023–24): 28.646 million tonnes, down from 31.260 million tonnes (2022–23).

• Queensland share of national production sold (2023–24): 28.646 million tonnes out of 29.902 million tonnes (about 96%).

• Top Queensland SA2 areas by sugarcane production sold (2023–24): Burdekin 7.825m tonnes; Ingham Surrounds 3.329m; Tully 2.782m; Walkerston–Eton 2.721m; Pioneer Valley 2.230m.

• Reported 2024 Queensland crush outcome: 27.3 million tonnes crushed; 1.1 million tonnes left standing.

• Minimum wage decision (effective 1 July 2025): national minimum wage $24.95/hour and $948/week, with a 3.5% increase applied to modern award minimum wages.