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Woolworths slammed for ‘refusing’ to admit workers deserve liveable wage

Helena BurkeNCA NewsWire
Not Supplied
Camera IconNot Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

Woolworths have been lashed in a parliamentary inquiry for “refusing” to acknowledge that workers deserve a minimum wage and “not telling the truth” about the work conditions faced by delivery drivers.

Grilling the supermarket giant on Monday, Senator Tony Sheldon said Woolworths had shirked its responsible sourcing standards by being complicit with the exploitation of UberEats workers.

“Numerous academic reports of UberEats work has been paid significantly below the minimum wage on average about, $10.42 an hour in some cases, as low as $6.67 An hour and others,” Senator Sheldon said.

“They don't show their workers receive a living wage.

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“Aren't you perpetuating a starvation wages strategy if you don’t have a proper oversight and require these companies to be paying workers comp and paying minimum wages?”

Third-party delivery services such as UberEats and Deliveroo have come under fire recently after it was revealed that delivery drivers were often being underpaid and many were dying while on the job.

But Woolworths defended their use of the delivery services, insisting it was not their responsibility to make sure that companies outside of their supply chain upheld their workers’ rights.

UberEats and Deliveroo have come under fire recently after it was revealed that delivery drivers were often being underpaid and many were dying while on the job. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
Camera IconUberEats and Deliveroo have come under fire recently after it was revealed that delivery drivers were often being underpaid and many were dying while on the job. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg Credit: Supplied

“The follow-up and active verification of our (responsible sourcing) standards has not yet extended to what we would call our non-trade supply chain, which is where the Uber partnership falls,” Woolworths representative Laura McManus said.

“This work is determined to be independent contracting. That is what the Fair Work Commission has determined it to be. We‘re operating well within that.”

Woolworths said Senator Sheldon’s statistics on the underpayment of UberEats employees did not apply to them, insisting there was no evidence of workers earning such low wages while delivering their products.

“We don‘t have any evidence of someone earning $6.67 Whilst delivering for Woolworths on any of our platforms and we don’t believe that’s the case” Woolworths representative Tom Windeyer said.

“If there was evidence of particular participants really earning $6.67 while delivering for us, I would want to investigate.”

Exposure Site
Camera IconWoolworths said it was not responsible for making sure companies outside of its recognised supply chain upheld their workers’ rights. Pics Tara Croser. Credit: News Corp Australia
Job Security Hearings Doorstop
Camera IconSenator Tony Sheldon said Woolworths was ‘perpetuating a starvation wages strategy’ by refusing to do anything to make sure delivery drivers were paid a minimum wage. NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia

But Senator Sheldon said Woolworths had already failed the delivery drivers by refusing show any regard or responsibility for their human rights.

“What is quite clear is that you're refusing to say that minimum wage should be paid,” he said.

“You're paying delivery companies, not wanting to know what they’re actually paying, and you raise that whatever somebody accepts as a payment is then appropriate.

“I don't think anyone can realistically say because (UberEats) is a new technology that people should have a right to be ripped off and paid less than minimum wage.”

Originally published as Woolworths slammed for ‘refusing’ to admit workers deserve liveable wage

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