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