As reported by the Weekly, western suburbs workers at Australia's largest chicken supplier walked off the job at 6pm last Wednesday in protest against job insecurity and conditions at the plant where a contract worker was decapitated last year.

Workers claim Baiada is bringing contractors in and paying them cash-in-hand below the minimum wage.

The company was fined $100,000 over the death of a St Albans farm worker in 2005, and the death of Sarel Singh last August is still being investigated.

Last Friday, Baiada was granted an injunction in the Supreme Court against the union, and police clashed with workers on the picket line before retreating.

When the Weekly visited the picket last Friday, workers said they were not going anywhere.

Tigist Abraha and Fessha Suhlu, of West Footscray, and Phuoc Dang, of Altona Meadows, were typical of the predominantly migrant workforce who vowed to stay put.

Mr Suhlu, an employee for almost seven years, said workers wanted everyone to know what was going on inside the plant.

"Some people, of course, will suffer about this, but we just want to make sure our jobs are secure and our rights are secure. They don't want to listen to the workers."

Ms Dang, at the plant for 11 years, said workers were finally speaking up. "I want the boss to listen to the workers because they bully and they yell and harass the people every day," she said.

"Every day, our boss put the pressure on us. Before, one person do one job. Now one person have to do double job, triple job."

National Union of Workers organiser Godfrey Moase said workers had shown how serious they were about job security, safety and respect. He said there had been ongoing dialogue with Baiada.

The company did not respond to repeated requests for comment.