Hundreds of warehousing workers took indefinite industrial action today at a Coles facility in Somerton, Melbourne
July 10, 2012
Hundreds of warehousing workers took indefinite industrial action today at a Coles facility in Somerton, Melbourne.
The National
Union of Workers (NUW) claims employees at the warehouse, which is operated by the Toll Group receive worse pay and conditions than those at other Coles facilities.
NUW State Secretary Tim Kennedy argues shift workers at Somerton do not receive a shift loading while those supplying other Coles supermarkets do.
He says all Coles workers should be entitled to be paid a shift loading.
Union members voted early in July to take industrial action after getting the green light from Fair Work Australia.
The action comes after protracted negotiations in which the union claims Toll refuses to move on the top five claims which include rostered days off (RDOs) loading for afternoon and night shifts and the protection of union rights.
The NUW is also pushing Toll to accept rights for casuals, a 5 percent payrise over three years and a voluntary public holiday system in its enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) with the workers.
For its part the
union rejected Toll’s wage offer of 2.75 to 3 percent in June discussions,
along with the offer of union rights, RDOs, full shift loadings, and the rights of casuals to have access to full time employment.
Company claims were also rejected, including the inclusion of pickrates in
the EBA, dropping the minimum casual engagement from four hours to three and
moving the entitlement to crib time and the meal allowance from 1 hour of overtime to 2 hours of overtime.