Woolworths targeted by farm workers’ campaign

A group of unionists and activists held a small lunchtime protest at a Woolworths supermarket in Melbourne’s CBD on 4 July. It was the third store visited by the group in a week, after similar actions in Altona North and Broadmeadows, to promote the National Union of Workers’ Fair Food campaign.

The union and community supporters are demanding that the major supermarkets eliminate illegal practices in their fresh food supply chain. Protesters collected signatures and spoke to customers while Woolworths managers watched.

“Woolworths and others at the top of the supermarket supply chain could completely avoid dealing with dodgy labour hire contractors that make possible gross exploitation of farm workers”, NUW community organiser Liz Turner told Red Flag. “They choose not to. In fact, Woolworths refuse to meet with workers and the NUW to discuss the issue. Actions like today are a template for actions we want to get going all over the country.”

Winnie, who works in regional Victoria producing fresh food for the major supermarkets, said that most workers in the industry feel alone: “Like nobody cares about them”. After experiencing injury, violence and underpayment while working at Covino Farms, a vegetable supplier, Winnie began organising her workmates. “I tell them that collectively we have strength and we should be part of the union and stand up for ourselves”, she said.