Sunday, 1 December 2024: From tomorrow morning Woolworths Group will re-open its Primary Connect Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre (MSRDC).
The Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre is the most significant site currently subject to indefinite industrial action across four Primary Connect Distribution Centres (3 in Victoria and 1 in NSW) and one partner site (Lineage).
As a result of ongoing industrial action at those sites, a number of Woolworths stores in Victoria, ACT and NSW are experiencing limited stock flow on some lines.
Resuming operations at MSRDC will improve availability of food and essential grocery items such as nappies, toilet paper and drinks for customers across Woolworths Victorian supermarkets.
The opening comes after contacting almost three-quarters of the team at the site, where a majority (72%) of those contacted indicated they want to return to work and be paid in the lead up to Christmas. This follows 11 days of industrial action led by the United Workers Union (UWU).
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) have endorsed an offer from Woolworths Group presented last week and Woolworths Group remains open to discussions with the UWU in the hope of reaching an agreement with all parties, and get team members their increased pay by Christmas.
In reaching an endorsed offer with the SDA, Woolworths Group reached agreement on 16 points which had been subject to negotiation. The endorsed offer contains competitive pay that is above industry standards, above local market rates, above inflation, and approximately 40% above the Storage Services Award.
Woolworths Group has engaged constructively over the course of negotiations with the UWU, but has not seen material engagement towards securing a deal. The UWU are asking for an immediate pay increase of over 25% with wage increases of 15% in years two and three, materially above inflation, at a time when Woolworths is actively working to keep food and groceries affordable for our customers who are facing ongoing cost of living pressures.
Comment from a Woolworths Spokesperson:
“We know that there have been shortages on our shelves in some Woolworths stores and that this is really frustrating for our customers.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and would like to thank our customers for their understanding and for treating our teams with respect.
“We’ve been working tirelessly to reopen our Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre so we can improve the amount of essential grocery items on our shelves for our Victorian customers.
“We continue to seek to negotiate with the United Workers Union and have requested that they allow safe passage for our team wishing to return to work and for vehicles tomorrow at MSRDC. This will ensure we can operate the site safely and supply much needed essential food and grocery products to our Victorian customers and communities.”
ENDS