Key Points
- Around a thousand Coles and Woolworths workers will walk off the job on Saturday.
- They are protesting "poverty" wages, unsafe workplaces and job insecurity.
- Disruption to customers is expected to be minimal.
Coles and Woolworths workers will stop manning checkouts and stocking aisles across the country on Saturday.
In the first national supermarket strike in Australian history, about a thousand workers were expected to strike for two hours from 10am, according to the Retail and Fast Food Workers' Union (RAFFWU), though it's unclear which stores will be impacted.
So why are workers downing tools, how much disruption is the strike expected to cause customers, and will there will be more strikes to come?
Why are they striking?
Those workers striking are protesting "poverty" wages, unsafe workplaces and job insecurity, explained RAFFWU secretary Josh Cullinan, who said they are beginning to find their voice in an industry that has historically treated them with contempt.
"These workers are treated like garbage," he told AAP.
"They pay them poverty wages, they don't treat them with any level of respect when crimes are committed in stores, and they don't have job security.
"They're fed up with being threatened by someone and worrying that when they finish their shift they'll see them in the car park with a shiv."
Specifically, workers are demanding a base rate of $29/hour for all Woolworths and Coles workers; safer workplaces where assaults, threats and attacks are treated as crime scenes; the abolition of junior rates and trainee rates; and the right to a minimum shift length, minimum part-time contracts and conversion rights for casual Woolworths workers.
How much will the strike affect customers?
Coles and Woolworths say customers will notice little difference, with the vast majority of their workers represented by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA), which will not be taking part in the strike.
RAFFWU members account for fewer than 500 of Woolworths' 132,000 supermarket employees and less than 0.4 per cent of Coles' workers.
Will there be more strikes?
While the impact on the supermarkets would be minimal this weekend, Mr Cullinan said workers were learning about their power and would be prepared to take more significant industrial action during the Christmas busy period if necessary.
Employees also took limited industrial action on Friday, refusing to perform some tasks including cleaning up vomit or bodily fluids and cleaning the manager's toilet.
Will those who strike still get paid?
While Woolworths will pay workers who engage in limited work bans, Coles says it will not pay workers who refuse to carry out tasks, claiming they are essential components of their roles.
RAFFWU has set up a fund to support Coles workers who lose pay for engaging in the limited strike action.
What do Coles and Woolies say?
Despite the strikes, Coles maintains the parties are collaboratively engaged in working out a new enterprise agreement.
"Coles is committed to delivering an outcome that balances the needs of our team members, the sustainability of our business and ensures we can continue to deliver great value and experiences for our customers," a Coles spokesperson said.
While the strike action is significant for those taking part, Coles and Woolworths say customers will notice little difference, with the vast majority of their workers represented by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA), which will not be taking part. Source: AAP / Glenn Campbell
"We have a long history of bargaining in good faith with our team and will continue to do so," a Woolworths spokesperson said.
"However, we acknowledge and respect the right of team members to take protected industrial action."
The SDA is in the early stages of negotiations with the supermarkets and says it is focusing on securing better wages, fairer and more predictable rostering and five weeks' annual leave.
"Their recent profit announcements demonstrate that they are in a financial position to address the union's claims seriously at a time when its employees are facing significant cost of living pressures," SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said.
