<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>333638</docID> <postdate>2024-11-21 13:53:08</postdate> <headline>Workers warn of bare shelves, Woolworths says no risk</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-333639" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20210625001552415353-original-2-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>Woolworths has contingency plans in place to cope with a strike by warehouse workers. (Albert Perez/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Savannah Meacham and Jack Gramenz</b> in Brisbane</span></p> <p><strong>Workers have warned of bare liquor, frozen and refrigerated goods shelves as warehouse staff strike indefinitely for better pay and conditions.</strong></p> <p>The United Workers Union says up to 1500 workers at three distribution centres in Victoria and another in NSW will strike indefinitely from Thursday.</p> <p>The union is calling for consistency across the nation with an agreement covering all the supermarket's workers in Australia.</p> <p>Jakob, a worker at Erskine Park in NSW, said staff are given an optimal time to complete a task and once it is done, they are ranked out of 100.</p> <p>He said this has negative impacts on workers' wellbeing.</p> <p>"You wake up, you think, how am I feeling today? Can I go to work and can I hit 100 per cent?" he said.</p> <p>"Then you're at work, you're worried about keeping it up to 100 per cent with all the variables throughout the day.</p> <p>"Then you finish and you're worried about resting up and recovering for your next shift where you're going to have to hit 100 per cent and it's simply not realistic to do that every day for the term of someone's employment."</p> <p>Melbourne worker Tim Seiuli has been a packer for 16 years and says the performance framework at distribution warehouses is "really unsafe".</p> <p>"We do this every day, day in and day out, we can see unsafe practices people have to take to reach the target," he told reporters.</p> <p>However, Woolworths distributor Primary Connect argued the performance framework monitors how long it takes to move products and is not watching its staff.</p> <p>The spokesperson added expectations were based on "the time it should take a person with reasonable skill, applying reasonable effort, working at a safe and conscientious pace, that can be maintained for the duration of a shift, to complete a task".</p> <p>Mr Seiuli called on Woolworths to come to the table and negotiate for a fair agreement and vowed to continue striking until then.</p> <p>"We're willing to take it all the way," Mr Seiuli said.</p> <p>UWU Logistics Director in Melbourne Dario Mujkic said workers will strike 24/7 until an agreement is reached, warning this will quickly lead to impacts in stores.</p> <p>"When one warehouse takes strike action, we start to see empty shelves in Woolworths supermarkets ... this is five warehouses," he said.</p> <p>"We will start to see bare shelves of liquor, frozen and refrigerated goods ... pretty quickly."</p> <p>Primary Connect said there will be no immediate impact on stores in NSW and Victoria.</p> <p>"Maintaining supply for customers is our priority in the lead-up to Christmas," a spokesperson said.</p> <p>"We have extensive contingency plans in place to minimise any ongoing impact to customers."</p> <p>This includes increasing stock levels in the stores serviced by the striking warehouses and using the other 20 centres in NSW and Victoria to maintain supply.</p> <p>It is understood one of the warehouses in Victoria stocks liquor while other regional centres stock non-perishables like chips and paper towels.</p> <p>It will not impact fresh fruit and vegetable stock in stores.</p> <p>Workers also want equal pay and conditions by bringing all staff up to at least $38 an hour in the first year of a new workplace agreement followed by yearly percentage increases.</p> <p>Primary Connect said it has already put forward pay offers above local market rates, inflation and the award.</p> </body>