Retail liquor giant Dan Murphy’s has become collateral damage in the ongoing strikes at Woolworths distribution centres, leaving shelves bare in the lead up to Christmas.
Photos of a store in Brunswick East in Melbourne’s north on Thursday show multiple aisles of empty shelves.
The Dan Murphy’s store had low stocks of everything from local and international beers and cask wine to bottled and pre-mixed spirits.
The shortages have been sparked by industrial action involving more than 1,500 workers at five distribution centres run by Woolworths’ national distribution network, Primary Connect.
The centres also provide distribution services for Endeavour Group, the owner of Dan Murphy’s and BWS, which was previously owned by Woolworths.
Many liquor outlets have now put up signs warning customers to the shortages during one of the busiest sales periods of the year.
An Endeavour Group spokesperson warned that stores in Victoria and southern NSW are currently experiencing stock shortages of varying intensities.
‘A key focus for us at this time is the safety and wellbeing of our team members, who are working very hard to assist customers during these challenges,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Shelves at Dan Murphy’s stores in Victoria (pictured) and southern NSW remain empty after weeks of industrial action at distribution centres run by Woolworths
Stocks of bottled and cask wine were running low at the Dan Murphy’s in Melbourne’s north on Thursday
‘We understand the inconvenience for our customers and we appreciate their ongoing support and respect for our team during this time.’
The spokesperson added Endeavour Group isn’t involved in the industrial dispute and have ‘implemented alternative delivery arrangements’ to try manage the shortfall.
“The degree of impact on stock differs across our stores,’ they said.
‘While deliveries continue, certain stores may experience a decrease in how often they receive new stock.’
It comes as Woolworths prepares to submit a Fair Work Commission hearing on Friday to try and break the picket line at a crucial centre just outside of Melbourne.
The strikes started on November 21 with support from the United Workers Union (UWU) who are seeking a pay increase to at least $38 an hour for staff and scrapping Woolworths’ new performance-measuring system ‘Framework’.
Woolworths recently revealed the strikes had resulted in stock shortages in stores across Victoria, NSW and the ACT resulting in $50million in losses.
Despite not being part of the Woolworths Group, Dan Murphy’s uses its distribution network Primary Connect which is currently at the centre of the strikes
Stocks of bottled and pre-mixed spirits have also been impacted by the industrial strike by distribution centre staff
The supermarket giant will argue on Friday for the UWU to stop blocking access for non-striking workers at the crucial South Melbourne centre as well as two more in Victoria and another in NSW.
‘The application comes after the UWU refused to give any assurance of safe passage for team members seeking to return to work at our Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre (MSRDC) yesterday and this morning,’ a Woolworths statement read.
It also claims a ‘majority’ of workers at the South Melbourne centre had ‘indicated they wished to return to work to begin being paid’.
‘The UWU chose to block the site entry points at MSRDC with cars and protestors, which created an unsafe environment for team members who had shown up to work,’ the statement continued.
‘The majority of our team members at this site are not members of the UWU.’
UWU National Secretary Tim Kennedy said on Wednesday that Woolworths ‘is in a position to end this strike right now by agreeing to a reasonable outcome with workers’.
Mr Kennedy said warehouse workers has been negotiating with Woolworths for better pay and safer conditions for almost seven months before the strikes began.
‘Business groups may well come out and support the dangerous, inhumane and unsafe productivity framework but you can bet they are not being marked out of 100 in real time every time they perform a task,’ he said.
‘A safe workplace that treats workers as humans, not robots, and fair pay increases to help workers survive the ever-growing cost of living, is what is needed to end this strike.
‘Woolworths have been gouging families at the check out and gouging workers in their pay packet for too long.’
More than 1,500 warehouses workers at centres in Victoria in New South Wales have been on strike (pictured) since November 21 seeking for safer work conditions and better pay
