Gisborne Woolworths staff protest for better wages and conditions in stop work action

Gisborne Woolworths staff make their feelings known to the public during their two-hour stop work action held outside the supermarket on Tuesday. Photo / Wynsley Wrigley

Woolworths staff took their campaign for better wages and conditions to the public with a historic and noisy stop-work protest on Gladstone Rd this week.

Gisborne workers were among the thousands of Woolworths employees from more than 190 supermarkets nationwide who stopped work from midday to 2pm on Tuesday.

Woolworths staff were underpaid, understaffed and undervalued, Gisborne staff member David Green said.

The two parties were “miles apart” in their negotiations.

A union ballot resulted in 96% of First Union members supporting the action, which is the first walkout in the history of the supermarket company.

Green, who is involved in the negotiations, said Woolworths’ wage offer was significantly lower than that of their competitors.

No meaningful solution was being provided to the issue of persistent understaffing or providing incentives to fill unpopular night and weekend shifts, he said.

Despite falling profits, Woolworths was still a profitable company which was part of a duopoly.

The company was staging a $400 million rebranding and retrofitting of more than 170 stores.

Green said the supermarket remained open during the two-hour stop-work period with management available to serve the public.

First Union organiser Colleen Ryan said she had seen many strikes, pickets and stop-work protests, but she had never seen such enthusiasm as that displayed by the Woolworths workers.

They were enjoying the strong support of the public, she said.

A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was offering workers increases of between 6.8% and 10.1% over two years.

“Making sure our team is paid fairly has always been a priority for us and we’ve brought a strong offer to the table in our discussions with First Union. We are one of the leaders in pay for our sector.”

Woolworths said it had improved sick leave benefits, increased caregiver and bereavement leave, improved discounts it offered to staff, and in 2022 agreed to a 19% pay increase.

“Additionally, we’re under way with a $45 million investment in making our stores safer, including team safety cameras in all stores, trolley locks, fog cannons and double-entry gates.”