<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>334257</docID> <postdate>2024-11-29 10:54:16</postdate> <headline>Woolies denies bare shelves as strike enters new week</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-332444" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_7863-resized-e1730690677896.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>A strike by supermarket warehouse workers is having an impact on stock levels, a union says.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Alex Mitchell</strong> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>A supermarket giant insists its shelves are not beginning to run bare as warehouse workers enter a second week of strike action.</strong></p> <p>Up to 1500 employees across a number of Woolworths distribution centres in Victoria and NSW walked off the job indefinitely on November 21.</p> <p>They are fighting for a pay increase, along with an end to a performance framework the United Workers Union said was pushing staff to sacrifice safety standards in pursuit of faster work.</p> <p>Woolworths insisted all stores were still receiving regular stock deliveries, but some were getting their goods less frequently than previously scheduled.</p> <p>No product limits were in place apart from eggs, which had been rationed for some time following bird flu outbreaks in NSW and Victoria.</p> <p>The union claimed the strike was already having a huge impact, with "gaping holes" on shelves normally containing household and frozen goods.</p> <p>"We are seeing bare shelves across the eastern seaboard now, we warned that this would happen if five warehouses took strike action," national secretary Tim Kennedy said.</p> <p>"Woolworths are squeezing shoppers at the register and workers on pay and conditions, while making ever-increasing profits … this is contributing to growing wealth inequality in Australia."</p> <p>The union has demanded equal pay and conditions across all Woolworths' distribution centres, asking for workers to be paid $38 an hour in the first year of a new workplace deal.</p> <p>Workers also say a framework that ranks each task they do out of 100 puts undue pressure on them and has a negative impact on wellbeing.</p> <p>"Workers do not want to feel pressured to cut corners and work unsafely for fear of losing their job, Woolworths must prioritise the safety and well-being of workers above all else," Mr Kennedy said.</p> <p>"Woolworths workers are striking for a cost-of-living wage increase and to be paid the same rate of pay for doing the same work under a national agreement."</p> <p>The grocer conceded some Victorian, NSW and ACT stores had "limited stock flow"  but added extensive contingency plans were minimising the impact on customers.</p> <p>A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was working hard to sort out the pay dispute.</p> <p>"We value our team and are deeply committed to reaching an agreement as quickly as possible so they can receive the benefit of their new pay rates before Christmas," she said.</p> <p>"We have already put forward several offers with competitive pay that is above industry standards, above local market rates, above inflation, and well above the award."</p> </body>