Woolworths will reopen a key distribution centre in Melbourne on Monday in a bid to keep essential items on shelves amid ongoing industrial action.
Up to 1,500 employees began rolling 24-hour strikes on 21 November in warehouses in New South Wales and Victoria, seeking improved wages and safety. One of the major issues is a new system used at the warehouse that tracks workers down to the minute and logs performance each shift.
The campaign has led to some empty shelves at stores in at least two states in the past week.
In a statement on Sunday, the company said its Melbourne south regional distribution centre was the most significant of five centres currently affected by the action and reopening it would “improve availability of food and essential grocery items such as nappies, toilet paper and drinks for customers across Woolworths’ Victorian supermarkets”.
Woolworths said it would reopen the centre after contacting three-quarters of its staff, with 72% of those contacted indicating they wanted to return and be paid before Christmas. The United Workers Union has led 11 days of industrial action at the centre.
In a statement, Woolworths called on the union to allow workers to safely return to the distribution centre.
“We know that there have been shortages on our shelves in some Woolworths stores and that this is really frustrating for our customers.
“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.”
Guardian Australia observed in one Melbourne CBD Metro location this week that there was no supply of cold drinks, with a sign in the store advising of delays due to industrial action.
The United Workers Union secretary, Tim Kennedy, said bare shelves were now seen across the eastern seaboard.
“We warned that this would happen if five warehouses took strike action,” he said. “Woolworths knows how to fix this, and now is the time as families start their Christmas preparations.
“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.”
The Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary, Sally McManus, visited striking workers at the Erskine Park site in NSW.
“Woolworths is to blame for any shortages,” she said. “Workers want a safe workplace and that means the company has to withdraw the systems they’ve put in place that basically treat workers like robots.”
