The worker strikes impacting Woolworths distribution are now affecting stock levels at liquor stores. It comes as the company waits for a hearing with fair work which it hopes will get staff back into its four fulfilment hubs.
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00:00I've just sat down with Amanda Bardwell, the Chief Executive of Woolworths. She said that
00:08the company certainly wasn't expecting that this strike and the resulting empty shelves
00:14would have dragged on this long. The strike started now around two weeks ago when they
00:21first kicked off. The company that Woolworths owns, that manages these fulfilment centres,
00:27said they weren't expecting major disruptions. Well now, stores especially in Victoria are
00:33absolutely empty of many essential items. You've got shelves empty of nappies, tofu,
00:39frozen goods, bottled drinks. Amanda Bardwell said to me that they are working with truck
00:45deliveries to try and get those stores filled again and they are certainly hoping that this
00:50situation doesn't drag out to Christmas.
00:53We were certainly hopeful that we could reach an agreement with the UWU and that we would
00:58be able to get those products back on the shelves for our customers earlier than we've
01:03been able to. We're working day and night to be able to find a pathway through so that
01:08we can have our team back to work and those products back on the shelves for customers.
01:13So your shelves are currently empty of tofu, nappies, cold drinks. How much worse is it
01:19going to get for your customers?
01:21We're continuing to work really hard to try and manage those product availabilities for
01:26our customers. We've got truck deliveries coming to our stores. We're servicing from
01:31our 20 DCs across the country into Victoria in particular. We do know that our customers
01:38are experiencing shortages in many of those products, those everyday essentials, and we're
01:43incredibly sorry for the disruption that this has caused for our customers in their everyday lives.
01:48Could this drag out to Christmas?
01:50We're certainly hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the UWU. It is three weeks
01:55to Christmas.
01:56The company lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission yesterday and it has
02:00its first hearing on this on Friday. The company is alleging unfair dealings throughout this
02:07wage negotiation with the unions. It's also asking the Fair Work Commission to help it
02:15safe passage for workers who might want to go back to work in its distribution centres.
02:22This has become a really interesting sticking point between the main union here, the UWU,
02:27and Woolworths. The UWU, as early as yesterday, has been claiming that in one of the main
02:33distribution centres here in Melbourne's south east, it has 85% of the workforce unionised
02:39and that democratically all of those workers have agreed not to go to work until they get
02:44the deal that they're hoping for. Well, today Amanda Bardwell, the CEO, disputed that this
02:49union has 85% of that workforce. They say that they do have workers who would like to
02:54go back into that store. Of course, this will ultimately come down to the Fair Work Commission
02:59on Friday. The CEO says they hope to get an answer that day.