Yahoo Finance Win for Aussie workers as Coles signs 'groundbreaking' deal
Coles has signed a “groundbreaking” agreement promising employees better safety and road standards, in a move that sets a new bar for Australia’s biggest companies, retailers and their supply chains.
Coles and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) signed a charter of standards on Wednesday that aims to address long-standing issues for transport workers who have been pushed to work long hours, skip rest breaks and speed on the road, which can result in crashes.
Under the charter, both organisations will come to the table for regular meetings about transport and safety that will ensure workers’ concerns are heard.
Workers in Coles’ supply chain have also been promised adequate pay and workplace standards. Driver education will be improved, and health and safety initiatives – including mental health – will be rolled out.
For gig economy workers, the charter of standards also promises “relevant entitlements” and safe working conditions.
A 2008 report from the National Transport Commission on remuneration and safety in Australia’s heavy vehicle industry found there was “solid survey evidence linking payment levels and systems to crashes, speeding, driving while fatigued and drug use”.
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‘Groundbreaking’ agreement
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine described the charter – which has been in the works since 2018 – as “groundbreaking” in prioritising safety in one of Australia’s biggest supply chains, as well as for Australians on the road.
“For truck drivers, logistics workers and food delivery riders it means the bar has been set very high in terms of listening to their concerns and investigating issues. For road users it means a major retailer is putting in place mechanisms to make our roads safer,” Kaine said.
The road transport industry makes up just 2 per cent of the national workforce, but accounts for nearly one in five work-related deaths, according to data from Safe Work Australia.
“Road transport is a deadly industry and it requires responsible corporate citizens standing up and acting in the interests of the community as Coles is doing.”
According to Coles CEO Steven Cain, the charter – which has been in the works since 2018 – would create a formal working relationship with TWU that would ensure that worker safety was a priority.
“Health, safety and wellbeing are at the core of our culture at Coles, and the processes we will establish through this charter with the TWU will help us maintain that same focus on safety throughout our transport supply chain,” he said.
The TWU signed a charter with Woolworths to improve road safety in 2016.
However, Aldi has “refused” to come to the table to discuss the same thing, said Kaine.
“The retailer lost a Federal Court case aiming to stop transport workers from speaking out about safety issues in the Aldi supply chain,” he told Yahoo Finance.
“The issues drivers have spoken out about include drivers pushed to work fatigued, workers not paid appropriate rates or superannuation, lack of training, lack of safety systems and intimidation of workers raising safety concerns.”
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