Liquor retail giant Dan Murphy’s has become collateral damage of ongoing strikes at Woolworths distribution centres, leaving shelves empty in the run-up to Christmas.
Photos from Thursday of a store in Brunswick East, in Melbourne’s north, show several aisles of empty shelves.
The store was lightly stocked with everything from local and international beers and cask wine to bottled and pre-mixed spirits.
The shortage has been caused by a strike involving more than 1,500 workers at five distribution centers run by Woolworths’ national distribution network, Primary Connect.
The centers also provide distribution services for Endeavor Group, owner of Dan Murphy’s and BWS, which were previously owned by Woolworths.
Many liquor stores have posted signs warning customers of shortages during one of the busiest sales periods of the year.
An Endeavor spokesperson warned that stores in Victoria and southern New South Wales are currently experiencing stock shortages of varying intensity.
“A key focus for us at this time is the safety and wellbeing of our team members, who are working very hard to support customers during these challenges,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Shelves at Dan Murphy’s stores in Victoria and southern New South Wales (pictured) after weeks of strike action at distribution centers run by Woolworths.
Stocks of bottled and cask wine were running low at Dan Murphy’s in Melbourne’s north.
“We understand the inconvenience to our customers and appreciate your continued support and respect for our team during this time.”
The spokesperson added that Endeavor Group is not involved in the labor dispute and has “implemented alternative delivery arrangements” to try to manage the shortfall.
“The degree of impact on stock differs between our stores,” they said.
“While deliveries continue, some stores may experience a decrease in the frequency with which they receive new stock.”
It comes as Woolworths prepares to submit a hearing to the Fair Work Commission on Friday to try to break the picket at a crucial hub on the outskirts of Melbourne.
The strikes began on November 21 with the support of the United Workers Union (UWU), which is seeking a pay rise of at least $38 an hour for staff and the scrapping of Woolworths’ new performance measurement system, the ‘Framework’. .
Woolworths recently revealed that strikes had caused stock shortages at stores in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, resulting in losses of $50 million.
Despite not being part of the Woolworths Group, Dan Murphy’s uses its Primary Connect distribution network which is currently at the center of the strikes.
Bottled and premixed spirits have also been affected.
The supermarket giant will on Friday ask the UWU to stop blocking non-striking workers from accessing the crucial South Melbourne hub, as well as two more in Victoria and another in New South Wales.
“The request comes after the UWU refused to give any guarantee of safe passage to team members seeking to return to work at our Melbourne South Regional Distribution Center (MSRDC) yesterday and this morning,” it reads. in a statement from Woolworths.
It also claims that a “majority” of workers at the South Melbourne center had “indicated that they wanted to return to work to start getting paid”.
“The UWU decided to block entry points to the MSRDC with cars and protesters, creating an unsafe environment for team members who had reported to work,” the statement continued.
“The majority of our team members at this site are not members of the UWU.”
UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy said on Wednesday that Woolworths “is in a position to end this strike right now by agreeing a reasonable outcome with the workers”.
Kennedy said warehouse workers had been negotiating with Woolworths for better pay and safer conditions for almost seven months before the strikes began.
“Business groups may support the dangerous, inhumane and unsafe productivity framework, but you can bet they aren’t being marked out of 100 in real time every time they perform a task,” he said.
‘What is needed to end this strike is a safe workplace that treats workers like human beings, not robots, and fair wage increases to help workers survive the increasing cost of living.
“Woolworths have been gouging families at the checkout and gouging workers out of their wages for too long.”
More than 1,500 warehouse workers at hubs in Victoria, New South Wales, have been on strike (pictured) since November 21 in search of safer working conditions and better pay.