by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A major Woolworths warehouse’s planned re-opening in Dandenong South after 11 days of an “indefinite strike” has failed to materialise.
United Workers Union maintained a picket line during the expected strike breaking attempt at 6am this morning, and say no workers entered the building.
The UWU described the intended strike-break as “bad faith” and “escalating” the industrial conflict.
About 220 UWU members out of the distribution centre’s 300 workforce went out on indefinite strike over pay and performance targets on 21 November.
Woolworths claimed it was set to reopen the Dandenong South warehouse on Monday 2 December after contacting three-quarters of the workforce.
Seventy-two per cent of the contacted employees wanted to return to work and be paid in the lead-up to Christmas, according to Woolworths.
UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy accused Woolworths of “escalating industrial conflict”.
“Breaking a strike at 6am when the Union and Woolworths are set to meet at 9am is just bad faith and nothing more.
“Woolworths should focus on negotiating a fair outcome rather than escalating industrial conflict.”
The strikes appeared to bite in the past week on both sides, with striking workers going without pay and growing reports of empty supermarket shelves including toilet rolls, nappies and drinks.
A Woolworths spokesperson said there was “limited stock flow on some lines”.
“We know that there have been shortages on our shelves in some Woolworths stores and that this is really frustrating for our customers.”
The Dandenong South warehouse is described by Woolworths as the most significant of the four hit by United Workers Union strike action in Victoria and NSW.
It stores and distributes about 2 million cartons of ambient goods each week.
Woolworths stated it had reached an endorsed offer with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) but no agreement so far brokered with the UWU.
“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 today at MSRDC.
“This will ensure we can operate the site safely and supply much needed essential food and grocery products to our Victorian customers and communities.”
Kennedy hit back, saying the SDA represented less than 10 retail staff at Woolworths compared to the 1500 UWU warehouse workers.
“Woolworths is once again missing the point. Retail workers are not yet exposed to the dangerous, inhumane and unsafe productivity framework, with punishment doled out if warehouse workers fail to meet a 100 per cent performance target every day under the framework.”
Several Labor MPs visited workers outside the warehouse in the past week, including Bruce MP Julian Hill.
“All workers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work,” Hill said.
“Woolworths workers have expressed very reasonable concerns about the new performance framework.
“Workers are not robots, and Woolworths should listen to workers and come to the table with an agreement that actually prioritises safety and well-being.
“Nobody should have to choose between their safety and their source of income.”
During the EA dispute, Woolworths states it has made several offers with “competitive pay that is above industry standards, above local market rates, above inflation, and well above the Award”.
It claims its performance targets were developed with “safety as an inherent component”.
