Woolworths seeks Fair Work orders to clear Melbourne picket line

The Fair Work Commission is being asked to intervene in strike action impacting supermarket giant Woolworths.

Transcript

00:00This site next to me is one of four or five sites that's currently closed or impacted

00:08by these strikes. Around 1,500 workers covered by the United Workers Union are off work now

00:14for almost two weeks without pay. The union has just held a press conference just behind

00:20me and that was on the news that Woolworths has asked the Fair Work Commission to intervene

00:25in this ongoing strike situation that's impacting the restocking of its stores. The union's

00:31leader behind me reiterated they believe that Woolworths has the power to end this strike.

00:37They say that it's on Woolworths to come to the bargaining table and give these workers

00:43more pay which is what they're asking for and also they've been asking for a change

00:47in working conditions inside these fulfilment centres. Here is the UWU's leader of this

00:54strike speaking just previously. I would say 100% of workers out on strike want to

01:01return to work but they want to return to work when they have an agreement on fair and

01:05just terms. The workers in making this decision to go out on strike, they don't make it easily.

01:10There's over 1,500 workers, 1,500 families who also need to put food on the table. They

01:15shop in Woolworths as well. They all want to get back to work. We want the company to

01:20sit down and fix this. Woolworths can fix this today with their workers and we can have

01:25all these sheds operating again. So as you mentioned Amelia, Woolworths has now gone

01:31to the Fair Work Commission. What's it asking the commission to do and what's it accusing

01:36the union of doing? So the supermarket giant is essentially accusing the UWU of unfair

01:43dealings in regards to these strikes. The supermarket has told the share market that

01:49it's concerned that the union could prevent workers who still want to go to work in these

01:55factories from entering. They allege that this sort of picket line behind me might make

02:00workers who want to come to work feel afraid of coming here to work. These factories are

02:06currently closed on Woolworths' decision. And Woolworths says this strike is now having

02:11a material impact. Yeah that's correct. So it says it's having such a material impact

02:18that it might actually impact its forecasts for its takings. It's had to disclose to the

02:25stock market that it thinks that it's lost out so far. Around $50 million worth of sales

02:31as this strike just drags out closer towards Christmas time. There's been vision coming

02:38out of the stores of empty shelves. Shoppers can't get things like nappies or toilet paper

02:44or frozen goods. Woolworths says that it can't forecast how much more of an impact this will

02:50be beyond that $50 million. It really just does depend on how long these strikes drag

02:56out for. The union has said this afternoon that it's currently got around 1,500 workers

03:01off. It says it has been putting the cap around so to say to cover costs of people who can't

03:08pay their rent who are striking or people who need food. But in terms of how long they

03:13are prepared to strike for they weren't quite willing to say how long this might go on for

03:18and really they put it back on Woolworths to come to the bargaining table.