Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare in some Woolworths stores across the country as hundreds of key workers strike for better pay and working conditions.
More than 1,500 warehouse distribution workers across Victoria and NSW have downed tools for a week to improve wages and safety in the face of Woolworths new performance-measuring system ‘Framework’.
The United Workers Union (UWU) claims that the operating system is pushing staff to sacrifice safety standards in pursuit of faster work.
The impact of the strike could be seen in stores across NSW, Victoria and the ACT with only a handful of items on barren shelves, while others appeared completely gutted of stock.
Signs reading ‘temporary supply interruption’ have been left in their place.
‘We’re currently experiencing supply issues as a result of industrial action at our Distribution Centres,’ the sign read.
‘We understand this is frustrating. We are working hard to resolve this and restock as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.’
The UWU said there were ‘gaping holes in household and frozen goods’ – and vowed that the number of empty shelves would only increase the longer the strike lasted.
The impact of the strike could be seen in stores across NSW, Victoria and the ACT with only a handful of items on barren shelves, while others appeared completely gutted of stock
The UWU said there were ‘gaping holes in household and frozen goods’ – and vowed that the number of empty shelves would only increase the longer the strike lasted
It was a grim echo of the worst days of the pandemic when panic buying, staffing shortages and supply chain issues left entire aisles empty.
Earlier, Woolworths insisted all stores were still receiving regular stock deliveries, but some were getting their goods less frequently than previously scheduled.
The union claimed the strike was having a huge impact, with ‘gaping holes’ on shelves normally containing household and frozen goods.
The grocer conceded some Victorian, NSW and ACT stores had ‘limited stock flow’ but added extensive contingency plans were minimising the impact on customers.
No product limits were in place apart from eggs, which had been rationed for some time following bird flu outbreaks in NSW and Victoria.
A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was working hard to sort out the pay dispute.
‘We value our team and are deeply committed to reaching an agreement as quickly as possible so they can receive the benefit of their new pay rates before Christmas,’ she said.
‘We have already put forward several offers with competitive pay that is above industry standards, above local market rates, above inflation, and well above the award.’
More than 1,500 warehouse distribution workers across Victoria and NSW have downed tools for a week to improve wages and safety in the face of Woolworths new performance-measuring system ‘Framework’
But union president Jo Schofield warned the strike would persist until Woolworths showed more care for its staff.
‘We’re going to be out for as long as it takes, it’s a fundamental principle for people to come to work, to do their job and work hard … and to go home safely,’ she said.
‘That’s why we’re out, and we’ll be out until Woolworths gets that message loud and clear.’
Union organiser Dario Mujkic told 7News warned that the empty shelves ‘will get worse while these guys are not at work’.
‘They’re resolved to stay out here as long as it takes. Woolworths is a pretty big company that’s used to getting its own way, so sometimes it takes a bit of pressure to move them,’ he said.
His colleague Rebecca Kovacs told the program she felt like they were ‘constantly being watched at work’ under the ‘framework’ system.
‘There’s a lot of pressure, you can’t go to the toilet without thinking ‘of my god, they are going to be watching me, I’m going to be spoken to about having a gap’,’ she said.
Union member Rebecca Kovacs told 7News she felt like they were ‘constantly being watched at work’ under the ‘framework’ system
Meanwhile, at a rally outside a western Sydney distribution centre, workers held up placards with slogans like ‘we’re not robots’.
The message was a reference to the ‘framework’ that allocates them a certain time for a task then ranks their performance out of 100, something they say puts undue pressure on them and has a negative impact on wellbeing.
On Friday, union heavyweight ACTU boss Sally McManus joined a rally for Woolworths warehouse workers where she criticised the profit-hungry supermarket giant.
‘Everyone has experienced the fact supermarkets already brought in new technology, they have self-checkout machines, and what’s happened there?’, she addressed the crowd. .
‘Have people seen a drop in the prices of the things they’re buying in the supermarket? Certainly not.
‘All of these things are used, in the end, really just to increase their profits and their profits cannot be increased on the back of the safety of Australian workers.’
Woolworths and Coles, which together control about two thirds of the Australian grocery market, have been in the sights of politicians and the consumer watchdog over concerns they were profiteering during a cost-of-living crunch.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recently finished a public inquiry into supermarkets’ pricing practices and relationships with suppliers, and is due to produce a final report in February.
