<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>334757</docID> <postdate>2024-12-06 10:39:48</postdate> <headline>Industrial umpire to rule on Woolies warehouse stoush</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-334652" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_6305-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></p> <caption>Empty shelves at Woolworths' Majura Park store as a warehouse workers' strike slows supply lines.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Adrian Black</strong></span></p> <p><strong>The workplace umpire will weigh in on a bitter pay dispute that has cost a supermarket giant tens of millions of dollars, as the retailer squares off against its warehouse workers.</strong></p> <p>The Fair Work Commission will on Friday hear Woolworths' application to stop United Workers Union members picketing four key distribution centres.</p> <p>As the industrial action enters its 16th day, thousands of supermarket and bottleshop shelves in Victoria, NSW and the ACT remain empty, costing the company more than $50 million.</p> <p>The United Workers Union has demanded better pay and changes to a new performance management framework it says puts workers at risk.</p> <p>Negotiations had stretched for seven months and were ongoing, union secretary Tim Kennedy said.</p> <p>"The best way to get workers back to work and shelves restocked in time for Christmas is for Woolworths to concentrate on reaching agreement at the bargaining table," he added.</p> <p>"Anything else is a distraction."</p> <p>Woolworths argues the union's requested pay rise of 25 per cent over three years would be "materially above inflation" at a time when the chain was "working actively" to keep groceries affordable for customers.</p> <p>Woolworths did not comment ahead of the commission hearing before Deputy President Gerard Boyce in Melbourne.</p> <p>Stock shortages include staple products such as cereal, toilet paper, meat and dairy goods.</p> <p>Booze behemoth Dan Murphy's, which is a customer of Woolworths supply chain provider Primary Connect, has also been affected.</p> <p>"Endeavour Group is not party to this dispute and we have implemented alternative delivery arrangements to get as much stock to our stores as we can," a spokesman from Endeavour Group, Dan Murphy's stock exchange-listed owner, said.</p> </body>