Truckies protest supermarket giant’s ‘shocking safety risks’
SA truckies are railing against “shocking” claims of workers being crushed on the job and trucks being held together by tape.
About 30 SA truckies who drive for Aldi’s Australian supermarkets have joined thousands of transport workers around the country on Wednesday to protest over unsafe practices claims.
SA truckies rallied at the Regency Park Aldi distribution facility, while interstate truckies showed up at Aldi stores in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
The national action comes after a string of reported incidents, including three occasions of workers being crushed and trapped in scissor lifts at Aldi’s Balgowlah store in New South Wales, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) claimed.
The union said its 40,000-strong transport worker membership has the right to protest to “lift standards in Australia’s deadliest industry”.
“With 23 truck drivers killed on our roads this year, workers have made it clear: it’s time for clients like Aldi to come to the table on decent jobs that don’t pile deadly pressure on an industry already at breaking point,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said.
“Throughout Aldi’s transport supply chain there are shocking tales of injuries, dangerous vehicle standards, underpayments and pressure to rush.
“Aldi has still failed to commit to a charter to address these issues riddled throughout the transport companies it uses to move its goods.”
The union said both Woolworths and Coles had signed supply chain safety charters, but Aldi had not.
An Aldi spokesperson said the company “is committed to safety, fair pay and excellent working conditions throughout our entire supply chain”.
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“We take our responsibilities across our supply chain very seriously, meeting and exceeding our obligations under all relevant regulations,” the spokesperson said.
“We categorically reject any allegations by the TWU that suggest otherwise.”
The strike action comes after the Fair Work Ombudsman took Gold Tiger, a company within Aldi’s transport supply chain, to court over failure to pay unfair dismissal compensation.
Gold Tiger faced allegations from the union that its vehicles were not properly maintained, incidents of truck rollovers and staff underpayments. The Sydney-headquartered company closed in March after 20 years of trade.
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