STOP-work action which has emptied Woolworths shelves in recent weeks has come to an end after an agreement was reached between the supermarket giant and its union workers on Saturday.
The United Workers Union (UWU) and Woolworths Group announced the endorsed deal on Saturday afternoon with hundreds of employees at Woolworths’ Barnawartha Regional Distribution Centre expected to return to work for the first time since strike action began on November 21.
The UWU announced on Facebook Saturday afternoon they had reached an agreement with the company not to punish workers for their speed of work.
“The new enterprise agreement won by workers breaks the link between measuring the speed of their work and automatic punishment if they fall behind – a system that effectively attempted to treat Woolworths warehouse workers like robots,” a UWU spokesperson said.
“Workers’ wages will increase with above-inflation increases across all sites to help families in a cost-of-living crisis.”
Latest Stories
The stop-work action has significantly impacted supplies to Woolworths supermarkets and subsidiary outlets including in Wangaratta.
Woolworths Group chief executive officer Amanda Bardwell said the supermarket will now be focused on getting products back on empty shelves with just two weeks to go until Christmas.
“Turning back ‘on’ such a large part of our supply chain will mean it will take some time for our stores to look their best and we’ll be ramping up as much as we can to get products to the stores where they’re needed most,” she said.
“We know how frustrating it has been to shop in store and online with us in recent weeks.
“We thank all of them [customers] sincerely for their understanding and patience.”
On Friday the Fair Work Commission found the union had been unfairly negotiating with the supermarket giant, and protest picket lines outside its distribution hubs were "unlawful".
The commission prohibited UWU members from preventing access to four out of five distribution sites, excluding Barnawartha.
UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy said shelves at Woolworths stores will soon be full again.
“Warehouse workers have challenged one of the most significant threats to worker safety and well-being as we enter a new AI-surveillance era of work… and they have won,” he said.
"This has been a very hard struggle to get to this point, with workers forgoing pay on strike for 17 days to stand united against a punitive performance management system.
“The community support for these workers has been incredible.
“We would like to thank everyone who visited workers on strike, cooked for workers and families, donated money and sent messages of support.”
