Hundreds of Woolworths workers from distribution centres in Melbourne, Sydney and Wodonga have walked off the job, demanding better pay and safer workplace conditions.
The strike, led by the United Workers Union, began on Thursday morning, with employees stopping work at three distribution centres in Victoria and one in New South Wales. Staff at a fifth warehouse are set to strike today.
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Woolworths employees have expressed frustrations over the cost-of-living crisis and concerns about the company’s proposed “efficiency framework.”
“Woolworths. We are not robots! Respect us!” one employee posted on social media.
Union director Dario Mujkic said the industrial action aims to secure fair wages and protections for workers.
“This framework demands 100 per cent productivity, 100 per cent of the time, based on a standard no one understands or can meet,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
Mujkic warned the strike could soon disrupt supply chains, leaving supermarket shelves emptier than usual.
“It’s actually unprecedented, this level of strike action across the Woolworths supply chain,” he added.
A spokesperson from Primary Connect, Woolworths’ supply chain platform, said the company was “deeply committed” to reaching an agreement.
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