The problem is these disagreements have been frequently spilling out into strikes and other disruptive actions, which neither side really want to go through.

The biggest event of this kind was the three-month lockout at Myrtleford’s Carter Holt Harvey, hurting workers, their families and the entire Alpine community.

Now we’re seeing Dorevitch Pathology workers face an uncertain future after walking off the job in an indefinite strike.

Single mother Melissa McDonald told The Border Mail life was looking bleak without the financial security of work, but she was willing to go through the pain of industrial action for a better outcome in the long run.

Wangaratta Council staff also started their industrial action on Friday over a pay dispute and CFA staff and volunteers have been embroiled in a very public conflict for months over what started as enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations and moved to a complete restructure of the organisation.

It is not unusual for employers and employees to disagree over pay and conditions, but it is concerning these disagreements keep turning into such drastic actions.

What is happening in these negotiation processes that is stopping both sides from coming to an agreement? 

Time and time again we’re seeing a stalemate where they refuse to budge and nobody wins.

Each case is of course different and both sides will always feel strongly that they are justified in their respective stances, but this is not something we want to see happen on a regular basis.

For firefighters, the battle was about more than money – a recent inquiry into the Victorian government’s proposed fire services bill heard Wodonga members had sought mental well-being assistance to cope.

“It’s having a significant impact on the morale on both sides of our team,” district 24 operations officer Brett Myers said.

No one wants to see families struggle while fighting for better pay, but in a changing world, more and more industries are being forced to work with less money coming into businesses.

It’s not easy, but the extra pain of strikes and public disagreements cannot continue to be the way forward.