make history by taking Protected Industrial Action that included various bans on day to day tasks, and stop work action a.k.a strikes…a.k.a Superstrike! On the first day of bans I was the only worker in the store who was taking action. The panic and frazzled movements by the leadership group, as they tried to get their heads around what was happening and how it was going to impact operations, was fascinating to watch, and slightly satisfying to be the cause of. The lead up to the Superstrike was hectic in our household, as Jen (also a Woolies worker) and I made placards and designed our own RAFFWU t-shirts for the big day. I made a 30 second video promoting the strike which was posted on all of RAFFWU’s social media. Then came October 7, the day of the Superstrike. The history-making day, as workers of the retail duopoly came together for two hours calling for living wages, proper annual pay increases, safer workplaces and job security. What was thought impossible to me twenty years ago was now a reality! A special mention to Dylan, who was the only worker from our store actually striking. While Jen and I participated, the strike fell on our day off. We stood out the front of the store with our shirts and placards, engaging with customers as they entered the store. We had oodles and oodles of support and solidarity in the community... and a round of coffees from a generous regular! While the campaign continues, overall it’s been a ride of ups and downs. In February members prepared a list of 99 claims we wanted to see in our upcoming EBA with Woolworths. Line-by-line we thoroughly scrutinised each one; endorsing, adding, adjusting, removing, improving, until we were satisfied we had a list that had great coverage across the needs of all workers. The list was handed to Woolworths for consideration in March….and then we waited for their response…..and waited…. Sadly, the company was in no hurry to bargain. We waited until July. August was an important month as we set in motion the process of applying for and voting on Protected Industrial Action. At the same time RAFFWU used the Fair Work Commission to compel all parties involved in the bargaining process to the table. I was invited to tag along. The experience wasn’t what I was expecting. It was very casual, the atmosphere was cordial and relaxed. The Woolies’ higherups were very friendly. And it was great to finally be able to meet RAFFWU’s own, Josh and Michael in person! Once the hearing got underway, it suddenly hit me that we were sitting in a room with the very people who were going to make decisions around the remuneration and terms and conditions for each worker. In the end we got what we wanted, a response to our claims and a commitment to find a date to hold a bargaining meeting. The ballot to take Protected Action was an overwhelming success. Things were finally happening. The higher-ups emailed through their response to each of our claims. Their responses were a mix of (I’m paraphrasing here) open-ended further discussions to don’t bother we’re not moving. We finally got a bargaining meeting. Those of us who participated in the meeting took the opportunity to give real life, human examples — and the reasoning behind many of the claims. However, in the end, the meeting was nothing more than a live read of the emailed responses. The bargaining campaign heated up in September as Woolies workers prepared to WOOLWORTHS CAMPAIGN Customers are very supportive, co-workers on the other hand — the response has been mixed. Those who haven’t gotten onboard (yet!) are a mixture of quietly supportive, apprehensively curious. Sadly there are the backstabbers, underminers, and outrightly disdainful for what we are trying to achieve. All qualify their positions with cynicism and justifying it with deep scepticism that what we are trying to achieve is too unattainable given the might and power of Woolworths. Every day of this campaign is an opportunity to rewire that thinking. Because from this campaign and beyond it when someone says, “What can we do about it?” or worse “There’s nothing we can do.” Well, yes there is. Regardless of the outcome of our new Agreement, we have proven we can take action. And that we do have a voice that needs to be heard. And hopefully the steps we’ve taken so far will go from being unusual to becoming the norm from this campaign onward. In late 2022, Woolworths Supermarkets announced it would bargain for a new deal. It then promptly refused to lift a finger. RAFFWU members across Woolworths forced Senior Management to take notice. This account of bargaining and action in 2023 is written by RAFFWU Bargaining Team Member, Josh Reinecker from Woolworths Rosebud Central. 6 ENTERPRISE
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