Woolworths packing workers across four warehouses in New South Wales and Victoria voted on November 12 to take indefinite strike action over safety concerns.
Workers are tracked by a system known as “the framework”, introduced last month, which measures how fast they are able to pack products (“pick rate”).
If a worker falls behind a rating of 100%, they can face disciplinary measures and even lose their job.
The United Workers Union (UWU) said Woolworths is not taking workers’ safety seriously. “The multi-billion-dollar company is squeezing every last drop out of shoppers and warehouse workers alike.
“‘The framework’ sets a universal standard for human movement. It is discriminatory, dangerous and unrealistic to expect people to meet the same universal standard, every second of every day.”
Many workers report exhaustion and risk of injury trying to meet these new standards. “Workers feel they must cut corners and perform tasks at dangerous speeds to avoid being disciplined or losing their jobs,” the UWU said.
Anonymous workers told The Guardian’s Full Story podcast that they were “monitored like machines”. They said the expected rates were “ridiculous” and “not achievable”.
The work is very physically demanding: “Picking up 16 kilo boxes for the entire day takes a toll on you.”
The pressure to meet expected pick rates often leads to injury, particularly among older workers who are expected to work at the same rate as younger ones.
Workers compared conditions to the dire situation at Amazon warehouses in the United States.
The union is calling on Woolworths CEO Amanda Bardwell to meet with the workers and scrap the “dehumanising” system.
The UWU is also demanding pay be standardised and workers receive a wage rise above inflation. They are calling for $38 an hour in the first year, with pay rises in subsequent years. Woolworths made $1.7 billion in net profit in 2023–2024.
More than 1500 workers could join the strikes ahead of Christmas.
UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy told SBS News: “These warehouses move something like five million cartons a week … supermarket supply will be affected quite dramatically in the lead-up to Christmas.”
Kennedy said it was “well within [Woolworths] capacity” to meet workers’ demands.
“If we can’t reach an agreement, strike action will be ongoing, and it will impact Christmas.”
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