That's the message from Leeton's SunRice, CopRice and AGS staff who stopped work to participate in strike action this week.

Staff in Leeton walked off the job on February 1 and were planning to do the same on February 2.

They were joined by colleagues from other sites including Coleambally and Deniliquin and regional Victoria, calling for better rights, pay and conditions.

Workers are seeking a four per cent pay rise, which equates to a raise of about $1 per hour per worker.

Leeton staff taking part in the industrial action banded together at several sites across town to show their presence, with the community showing its support.

Many residents dropped by to find out what the industrial action was all about, while several vehicles driving past beeped their horns in support.

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The groups gathered outside the SunRice mill in Calrose Street, outside the office on Wamoon Avenue, as well as outside the CopRice location.

United Workers Union lead organiser - food and beverage, Tom Czech, was on site at the Calrose Street location, saying staff were angered by what they said was the company's lack of proper negotiation with them over the past eight months.

"The union is absolutely ready and willing to meet with the company to attempt to reach an agreement," Mr Czech said.

"However, the company have said several times in writing and over-the-phone that they are only prepared to meet with paid officials from the union and not with employee bargaining representatives. It's really disappointing and concerned.

"We're a member-led union. We're advocating for them. It's important they get a say and the opportunity to participated in negotiations."

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Discussions between the union and SunRice have been ongoing for the past eight months.

According to the union, the company paid to fly three senior managers to Leeton to meet at 8am on February 1, only to decline due to the union insisting workers be present at the meeting.

Some of the conditions the union said SunRice attempted to remove from the staff agreement included special leave for volunteer firefighters and domestic violence victims, and for paid time to donate blood.

"SunRice is a company which continues to grow and record profits but is refusing modest wage rises for the very workers who have contributed to its successes," Mr Czech said.

"We can't see why the company wouldn't want to meet with their own workers.

"We're ready, willing and able to talk. They know where we are."

Mr Czech said some of the other key concerns for staff included not just the wage increase, but rights for casual workers and proper pay for these staff.

"We know small communities need secure jobs in order to be sustainable ... this is as much a fight for Leeton as it is our workers," he said.

In a statement on January 31, a SunRice spokesman said the union was "determined to pursue protected industrial action when the negotiation process has not been exhausted".

"Employees will lose pay if they participate in industrial action and this action will damage SunRice's ability to service markets, while also undermining long-term job security in the region," the spokesman said.

"SunRice is also aware the UWU has recently issued a press release regarding the stop work action and we are extremely concerned it is seeking to misrepresent SunRice's proposed offer to employees, including making false claims regarding the removal of certain leave provisions.

"We advised employees and the UWU weeks ago that existing provisions relating to emergency services leave, volunteering leave and domestic and family violence leave will remain in the proposed operations enterprise agreement.

"The intention was never to remove these conditions as employees would continue to be entitled to these leave provisions under SunRice's leave policy, along with all other SunRice, CopRice and AGS employees that are not covered by an enterprise agreement."

Mr Czech said the company could afford to do better for its staff.

"We're not talking about a lot of money for the SunRice Group ... but this small increase for each worker would mean a lot to them," he said.

"It's not something I believe the company would even really notice.

"Staff are quite angry. To see a great deal of staff take this sort of action across two states means that something has gone wrong.

"They won't be backing down. They didn't take the decision to go on strike lightly. After eight months of negotiations ... to get to this point is quite disappointing for the members, but they had to do it."

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