Supermarket giant Woolworths has asked the Fair Work Commission for a circuit-breaker to ban warehouse workers from blocking their distribution centres.
United Workers Union members are blocking all entrances to a distribution centre in suburban Melbourne and three other sites over better conditions and pay.
Plans to bring in staff on Monday never eventuated, but picketers at the Dandenong South site turned away logistics trucks trying to enter.
Woolworths Group has filed an urgent application with the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday.
“The application comes after the UWU refused to give any assurance of safe passage for team members seeking to return to work at our Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre (MSRDC) yesterday and this morning,” Woolworths said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
The application to Fair Work alleges a breach of the Good Faith Bargaining requirements in the Fair Work Act.
The matter has not yet been listed for hearing.
Woolworth says the majority of staff at the Dandenong South site are not members of the union, and want to return to work and get paid.
The supermarket giant confirmed it would again try to reopen the distribution centre again today but would follow advice from Victoria Police on whether it was safe to do so.
The strike action has seen supermarket shelves across Victoria stripped, with scenes akin to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One store, on Collingwood’s Smith Street, had most of its toilet paper aisle emptied along with large portions of its bread and fridge sections.
Those ordering grocery deliveries are also warned to allow substitutions to ensure they receive the products they want.
The decision to go to Fair Work follows the company and union returning to the negotiating table on Monday.
“We are hopeful of a breakthrough because our workers deserve to be safe at work,” United Workers Union National Secretary Tim Kennedy said.
Workers are protesting against “unrealistic performance expectations” which they claim lead to frequent injuries, demanding better wages, and an agreement that workers at different sites are paid the same amount.
In late November, Woolworths insisted all stores were still receiving regular stock deliveries, but some were getting their goods less frequently than previously scheduled.
No product limits were in place at the time apart from eggs, which have been rationed for months following bird flu outbreaks in NSW and Victoria.
It’s believed the strike is yet to affect Victorian farmers, whose produce normally hits supermarket closer to Christmas—but items such as nappies, toilet paper and drinks have been affected.
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