The 73 Shepparton maintenance workers were told on Friday they would be replaced by contract workers before May 2014, the Electrical Trades Union says.
SPC Ardmona issued a statement saying the employees were aware of the critical need for the company to transform its business.
The company, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Amatil, is seeking government assistance.
It wants $25m from the federal government and a matching contribution from the Victorian government.
Electrical Trade Union branch officer Damian King said the union had been in discussion with SPC for months seeking productivity gains as part of an enterprise bargaining agreement renegotiation.
He said the union had offered a two-year wage freeze in an effort to preserve jobs.
"They've basically said times are tough for them," King said.
He said the union was due to meet company representatives early in 2014 and workers had been blindsided by the job cuts.
"In 20 years as a union official I've never heard of mass sackings between Christmas and New Year's," King said. "It's disgusting."
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