Hundreds of Woolworths and Coles workers across the country will walk off the job this weekend over work and pay conditions.
Staff represented by the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) have backed a two-hour stoppage from 10am on Saturday, impacting stores in Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Western Australia, the ACT and SA.
The union said the action would be the first nationally coordinated supermarket strike in Australian history and estimated about 1000 employees across Coles and Woolworths would take part.
RAFFWU federal secretary Josh Cullinan said members were fighting for living wages, safer workplaces and secure jobs.
“Workers are paid a few cents more than the minimum wage. They just want a living wage to deal with the rising cost of living, they can’t even afford the groceries they’re selling,” he told 9news.com.au.
“We want to see each time a worker is assaulted or abused to be treated like a crime. The level of abuse, threats intimidation and assaults is unprecedented and outrageous and the employers are not lifting a finger to stop it.
“We also want to see casual workers getting ongoing jobs. They just want to be able to have more hours in their contract to rely on and mega companies making mega profits should be able to provide that.”
Woolworths said it anticipated about 300 of its 130,000 employees were expected to strike and told the industrial action would have minimal impact on store operations.
“Only individuals who have appointed RAFFWU as their bargaining representative are able to participate in the proposed industrial action,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.
“We have been in regular contact with RAFFWU bargaining representatives and an initial bargaining meeting has already occurred.
“We have a long history of bargaining in good faith with our team and will continue to do so. However, we acknowledge and respect the right of team members to take protected industrial action.”
(9 NEWS)
