Imagine working in a warehouse, wearing headsets directing you around, isolated from your co-workers, surrounded by dangerous machinery, and forced to rush unsafe tasks to meet a 100% target on your work performance at all times.
Anything less than 100% is considered failure.
Failure can result in public humiliation, disciplinary action and even termination.
And though you’re working for one of the richest companies in the country, your pay is falling below the rate of inflation.
This sounds like something out of a Black Mirror episode, but it’s actually the very real “Framework” enforced at distribution centres owned by Woolworths.
Workers from the United Workers Union have tried to remove this “Framework” and advocate for safer and better working conditions.
After a series of failed attempts, they’ve now gone on strike. More than 1,500 workers have gone on strike indefinitely to make sure they have a safe workplace and to get the pay and rights they deserve.
This is why, as you may have noticed, Woolworth’s store shelves are looking a bit sparse at the moment.
The “Framework” shows no concern for the safety or mental wellbeing of warehouse workers. It only cares about efficiency and productivity, treating human workers like robots.
These workers are a critical part of ensuring essential goods are available on shelves at our supermarkets, and the way they’re treated is inhumane.
But Woolworths has shown they’d rather have empty shelves this holiday season than actually provide their employees with better working conditions.
Woolworths is one of the richest and most powerful companies in Australia. We know they underpay their workers and overcharge their customers.
In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, a company which employs over 200,000 people needs to be held accountable for the way they treat their workers.
The Greens stand in solidarity with the United Workers Union, and we hope that their demands are met so that distribution workers can have a safe festive season.
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