SEVERAL Woolworths stores are being impacted by stock shortages due to the ongoing industrial stop-work action at the Barnawartha distribution centre and other sites.
A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed that some stores near the border are experiencing limited stock flow on some lines due to industrial action in four of their distribution centres.
"All stores are still receiving regular deliveries of stock, in some cases at a reduced frequency," she said.
"Not all stores are impacted, and the degree of stock flow challenge varies from store to store.
"We understand this is frustrating for our customers and thank them for their patience and treating our store teams with respect.
Latest Stories
"We have extensive contingency plans in place to minimise any ongoing impact to customers, ensuring regular deliveries to stores utilising the other 20 DCs and 8000 team members in our network."
Shoppers at Wangaratta's Woolworths store, and BWS, have been noticing an impact from the strike action this week, with some regular stocked items not available.
Barnawartha DC staff have been off work since Thursday last week with workers manning a picket line out the front of the site around the clock.
Local United Workers Union (UWU) organiser Mark Schmidt said the strike action is more about the framework and the working conditions staff are faced with than the pay.
UWU representatives and Woolworths met on Wednesday to discuss details of a potential agreement.
"We want an agreement so workers have consistency with terms and conditions across all the sites that are out on strike," Mr Schmidt told the Wangaratta Chronicle.
"We didn't get the response that we wanted but at least the company is talking."
Mr Schmidt said the main topic for the workers is about the framework, for example during an eight-hour shift a worker can only have 3.5 per cent downtime which is 16 minutes.
"This includes if you require an additional toilet break or you might stop six times throughout your shift to talk to someone or grab a drink (lunch breaks aren't included).
"As soon as you've had more than 3.5pc in a shift then someone will come and speak to you and if that continues you get disciplinary action up to termination of your employment."
Mr Schmidt said workers are monitored via a headset and cameras and are told to go to different locations and if you can't achieve a designated job within the allotted timeframe, then you'll get a lower performance rating.
"If you pause a job then this is classed as downtime and it comes off your 3.5 per cent," he said.
The framework is based on standards in the time the framework indicates a certain job should take.
"It has an impact on people's mental health, and although the site has always had performance frameworks in place in the 19 years it has been open but it has never gone to this level," he said.
"It's worth millions of dollars to the company, if they can get this across their whole supply chain - people going into work, feeling that they're not achieving a target and have to work harder.
"If they can lift work an extra five per cent just through sheer pressure, that makes the network millions of dollars."
With the high focus on productivity, Mr Schmidt said it could impact the safety of the workplace.
"If you have 250 people in the shed, with people driving forklifts all trying to keep their jobs, someone is going to get killed," he warned.
