WEBVTT - Why Christmas lunch could be MIA

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<v Speaker 1>From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Christinamiot.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Monday, November eleventh. Anthony Albanesi's personal approval ratings have

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<v Speaker 1>hit a new low. According to new data from Newspoll,

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<v Speaker 1>the leadership contest between the PM and Opposition leader Peter

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<v Speaker 1>Dutton is the closest it's ever been, as primary support

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<v Speaker 1>for the Coalition lifts to forty percent for the first time.

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<v Speaker 1>You can read analysis of those new numbers by our

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<v Speaker 1>experts right now at the Australian dot com dot au.

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<v Speaker 1>Jim Chalmers says any isolationist policy agenda enacted by US

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<v Speaker 1>President elect Donald Trump wouldn't immediately threaten Australia's economy, but

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<v Speaker 1>in a speech to the Australian Institute of Public Affairs tonight,

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<v Speaker 1>the Treasurer says he is remaining cautious of a longer

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<v Speaker 1>term tariff war between the United States and China. Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>year could be in short supply this year if a

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<v Speaker 1>bargaining dispute between Woolworths and the union representing thousands of

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<v Speaker 1>its warehouse workers goes south. There's a pay rise on

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<v Speaker 1>their wish list and they're threatening to walk off the

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<v Speaker 1>job if the supermarket Giant doesn't deliver. That's today's episode.

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<v Speaker 1>There are just six fridays between now and Christmas Day,

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<v Speaker 1>or forty four sleeps or about two advent calendars, however

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<v Speaker 1>you slice it. Christmas Day is close and when it

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<v Speaker 1>rolls around, Australians around the country will sit down with

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<v Speaker 1>their loved ones to celebrate in our unique style. There'll

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<v Speaker 1>be presents and carols and Christmas Morning swims at the beach.

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<v Speaker 1>Lights and decorations will adorn homes and malls and main

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<v Speaker 1>streets the country. There'll be paper hats and Christmas crackers

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<v Speaker 1>and collective groans at the dad jokes. Contained inside, they'll

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<v Speaker 1>be prawns and Christmas hams and fresh zingy salads. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe not. The distribution network relied upon by Woolworths is

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<v Speaker 1>facing significant disruption in these all important weeks before Christmas.

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<v Speaker 1>It's warehouse workers say they're not being paid a fair

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<v Speaker 1>wage and they're prepared to walk off the job if

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<v Speaker 1>the supermarket giant doesn't come to the table with a

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<v Speaker 1>better offer.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, if that was to occur, the union says that

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<v Speaker 2>would cause massive disruption to the delivery of goods. The supermarkets,

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<v Speaker 2>so there would be delays in the boxes of goods

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<v Speaker 2>being put on trucks and being sent out for the

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<v Speaker 2>different supermarkets, so that would potentially lead to shortages.

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<v Speaker 1>The union says you and Hannon is the Australian's Workplace Editor.

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<v Speaker 2>All escalating our bargains with the United Workers Union, whose

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<v Speaker 2>members work at four key distribution centers in Victoria and

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<v Speaker 2>New South Wales. The bargaining has been going on for

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<v Speaker 2>some time. The unions essentially want above inflation pay rises

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<v Speaker 2>over the next three years. In some cases the combined

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<v Speaker 2>increases would be as high as thirty six percent. The

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<v Speaker 2>company in response, this is the distribution arm of Woolworths

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<v Speaker 2>Primary connect They are proposing pay rises of about three

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<v Speaker 2>and three and a half percent a year, which should

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<v Speaker 2>be roughly inligned with inflation. There are two other key

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<v Speaker 2>issues in dispute the distribution centers workers there are covered

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<v Speaker 2>by a range of different enterprise agreements. The union once

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<v Speaker 2>the workers all brought into one national agreement. The thirty

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<v Speaker 2>issue is a contentious one in relation to a so

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<v Speaker 2>called framework agreement, which is a surveillance operation that works

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<v Speaker 2>on distribution warehouse workers where their work is monitored, but

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<v Speaker 2>the union and the workforce argues that this puts the

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<v Speaker 2>employers under too much pressure and increases the risks of

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<v Speaker 2>safety accidents and potential injuries, and the union ones that's

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<v Speaker 2>scrapped entirely.

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<v Speaker 1>The lead up to Christmas is a critical time of

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<v Speaker 1>year for Woollies. The supermarket chain needs to dramatically increase

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<v Speaker 1>supply and make a huge number of specialty items available

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<v Speaker 1>in order to meet shoper demand over the silly season.

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<v Speaker 1>But when members of the United Workers Union met last week,

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<v Speaker 1>they endorsed strike action that could include indefinite stoppages, and

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<v Speaker 1>that means up to five million boxes of Christmas ham

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<v Speaker 1>crackers and seafood could be in short supply.

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<v Speaker 2>The company says it's put contingency plans in place to

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<v Speaker 2>start stop piling and get supplies from other areas and

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<v Speaker 2>also divert supplies from other distribus incentives. So obviously both

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<v Speaker 2>sides are saying it'll have a particular impact, but we

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<v Speaker 2>n't know until the actual form of the action is known,

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<v Speaker 2>But certainly it would be an uncertain time for the

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<v Speaker 2>company going into this critical Christmas period, both for consumers

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<v Speaker 2>and both for the company's operations.

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<v Speaker 1>When unions threaten to take this kind of industrial action,

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<v Speaker 1>they usually need to give three days notice, but given

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<v Speaker 1>what's at stake here, the notice period has increased to

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<v Speaker 1>seven days, and that means workers could walk off the

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<v Speaker 1>job as soon as Friday. The United Workers Union is

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<v Speaker 1>putting pressure on Woolworths to bump up its payofer, but

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<v Speaker 1>Woolley says its current offer is in line with inflation. Basically,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a standoff.

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<v Speaker 2>So what happens next is the meetings will occur on Tuesday,

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<v Speaker 2>the workers will flag the next round of action or

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<v Speaker 2>will probably be an escalation of the action. Now, if

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<v Speaker 2>Wulworth stands firm and doesn't lift it softwer, that's going

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<v Speaker 2>to increase the likelihood of action. But if the company

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<v Speaker 2>does come back with a higher offer, which probably comes

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<v Speaker 2>some way in between what the union is actually seeking

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<v Speaker 2>as a headline rate and what the company is offering,

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<v Speaker 2>there could be progressed. So the union says at once

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<v Speaker 2>definitive above inflation increases given the cost of living pressures

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<v Speaker 2>which are being faced by the workers. So, as you say,

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<v Speaker 2>it's a classic standoff, there's a lot of dramatic talk

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<v Speaker 2>and we'll see how it plays out. In the days

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<v Speaker 2>and works.

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<v Speaker 1>Ahead coming up why Woolley says things aren't exactly looking up.

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<v Speaker 1>In twenty twenty five, it's been a tough year for Woolworths.

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<v Speaker 1>The supermarket chain is facing a court case brought by

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<v Speaker 1>the Consumer watchdog, which says it misled customers on price

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<v Speaker 1>drops and discounts.

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<v Speaker 3>The supermarkets are now scrambling to try and gain back

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<v Speaker 3>the trust of customers.

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<v Speaker 4>Now.

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<v Speaker 3>If the AH Triple C's allegations are true, it is

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<v Speaker 3>without question misleading and manipulative behavior, especially during a cost

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<v Speaker 3>of living crisis.

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<v Speaker 1>Woolworth's former chief executive Brad Banducci, exited the business in

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<v Speaker 1>September after a train wreck TV interview earlier in the year.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, he is retired, but I shouldn't have said that.

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<v Speaker 2>Are we going to leave it in there?

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<v Speaker 3>If we are, well, I mean we're on the record

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<v Speaker 3>he said it.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you know, let's move on. But yeah, yeah, no,

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<v Speaker 1>I think I'm done.

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<v Speaker 2>Guys.

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<v Speaker 1>You know I do this with a good intent. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't do this for bad intent.

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<v Speaker 2>You walking out?

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<v Speaker 4>Really?

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<v Speaker 1>We just sent new boss Amanda Bardwell had only been

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<v Speaker 1>in the job for seven weeks when at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of October, the nation's largest retailer suffered a shock profit downgrade.

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<v Speaker 1>That's because shoppers are tightening their purse strings and opting

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<v Speaker 1>for heavily discounted groceries amid an ongoing cost of living crisis.

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<v Speaker 4>Willworth's shares got hammered today after the supermarket chain released

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<v Speaker 4>a surprise profit warning. Wilworth said customers were trading down

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<v Speaker 4>and buying cheaper items, but it flagged weaker sales growth

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<v Speaker 4>in the second quarter.

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<v Speaker 1>Announcing those results, Bardwell wasn't exactly projecting an air of

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<v Speaker 1>optimism about the year ahead.

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<v Speaker 4>Amanda Bardwell said, we expect the environment for fiscal twenty

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<v Speaker 4>twenty five to remain challenging. We will also continue to

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<v Speaker 4>engage in good faith with the government and regulatory inquiries

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<v Speaker 4>and investigations.

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<v Speaker 1>Wilworth's biggest competitor, Coles, has an existing agreement with distributors

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<v Speaker 1>to ensure its smooth sailing into Christmas, and Ewan says

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<v Speaker 1>it could actually put coals in the more desirable commercial

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<v Speaker 1>position in the lead up to the festive season. Surely

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<v Speaker 1>a fight with its workers is the last thing Warworth

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<v Speaker 1>needs right now.

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<v Speaker 2>There's obviously a heightened appetite for an industrial action amongst workers.

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<v Speaker 2>Where the workforces are unionized. There's a push on, particularly

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<v Speaker 2>from the United Workers Union and other similar unions, for

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<v Speaker 2>cost of living increases to stay above inflations. They say,

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<v Speaker 2>companies like Warworks can afford them, and certainly the unions

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<v Speaker 2>are trying to capitalize them that bad publicity that Warworks

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<v Speaker 2>has suffered in recent times, to carry the public argument

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<v Speaker 2>with them, to try to exploit this idea that wor

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<v Speaker 2>worse might be on the nose with customers to a degree,

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<v Speaker 2>and so hoping that the public could be sympathetic to

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<v Speaker 2>their plight and give them the sort of momentum to

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<v Speaker 2>take this industrial action. Although you've got to say any

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<v Speaker 2>industrial action which affects such a big employer in the

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<v Speaker 2>leadup to Christmas is not going to be popular with

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<v Speaker 2>the general community.

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<v Speaker 1>You and Hannon is The Australian's Workplace editor. You can

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<v Speaker 1>read that exclusive story, as well as all the nation's

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<v Speaker 1>best news, sport and politics, right now at The Australian

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<v Speaker 1>dot com dot au