Have you been struggling to find your favourite granola? Or watched in slow-mo terror as someone grabbed the last pack of salt and vinegar chippies? Well, the shelves looking emptier than usual at your local Woolies could be due to more than 1500 warehouse workers going on strike in pursuit of better pay and safety.
On November 21, the United Workers Union (UWU) took industrial action. According to The Guardian, the industrial action impacts five distribution centres run by one of Woolies’ biggest supply chains, Primary Connect.
The workers are asking for an increase in pay to $38 an hour for staff members with further increases over the next few years. The UWU is also asking for consistent wages and conditions across distribution centres and is requesting Woolworths get rid of a program it introduced in 2023 called the Coaching and Productivity Framework.
The framework tracks workers’ performance and measures them against efficiency targets. Reportedly, if workers don’t hit the goals outlined by the framework, there can be consequences including disciplinary action, coaching and loss of employment.
However, Woolworths doesn’t agree with what the UWU is asking, claiming that the Union is asking for wages that are higher than the “cost of living pressures” for customers. Veeeerrry interesting considering the supermarket giant is currently facing a class action over price gouging claims, no?
The strike has had an effect on goods making it to the shelves in Woolworths stores across New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT. The missing goods differ from store to store but range from cold drinks to paper towels and snacks.
“We know that there have been shortages on our shelves in some Woolworths stores and that this is really frustrating for our customers,” Woolworths said in a statement, per The Guardian.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and would like to thank our customers for their understanding and for treating our teams with respect.
“We continue to seek to negotiate with the United Workers Union and have requested that they allow safe passage for our team wishing to return to work and for vehicles tomorrow at MSRDC.”
Although many of us can just duck to Coles or Aldi, for many in remote towns, the shortages have made their weekly shopping difficult.
“Try living in a rural town where the only option is a Woolies at the end warehouse delivery run so a lot of stuff doesn’t even make it to us even on a good week.. … And the alternative is a 40-50km round trip,” one Redditor vented.
According to UWU’s secretary Tim Kennedy, Woolworths was warned that this would happen if industrial action did occur and as we get closer to Christmas, there could be shortages of alcohol and Christmas food.
“We warned that this would happen if five warehouses took strike action. Woolworths knows how to fix this, and now is the time as families start their Christmas preparations,” said Kennedy, per The Australian.
“Workers do not want to feel pressured to cut corners and work unsafely for fear of losing their job. Woolworths must prioritise the safety and wellbeing of workers above all else.
“Workers all over Australia are struggling to survive in the face of more than a decade of wage stagnation compounded by ever-rising prices. The real purchasing power of wages today is lower than it was a decade ago.”
UWU and Woolworths met to discuss the proposed changes on Monday. However, they didn’t come to an agreement.
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