As always, the SDA Warehouse Organising team has been hard at work for our DC members in the last few months.

Coles DC Forest Lake and Heathwood EBA negotiations are progressing while we advocate for members to receive a fair redundancy package, a decent pay rise and other protections as the site prepares to close in a few years.

Kmart DC is also in the early stages of negotiations for a new Agreement, with members recently completing a log of claims survey to tell us what they’d like us to bargain for in negotiations. The results are no surprise: members want a decent pay rise, job security and improved rostering conditions.

There has also been a new addition to the DC world with the opening of Primary Connect Chiller and Freezer DC at Heathwood. It has been great to be on-site connecting with new members and sorting out a few issues as the site gets established. This includes an issue where some team members were not getting paid the appropriate freezer allowance as per their EBA.

The SDA raised this issue with Primary Connect immediately, and the company committed to reviewing all hours worked as a matter of priority and ensuring all affected members received back pay. If any members continue to experience this underpayment, we encourage you to contact the SDA for assistance.

It’s great news that despite previously announcing that the Big W DC in Warwick would close in early 2023, the company has now announced they’ve signed a lease for a further three years and removed the decision to close the site permanently. This will come as a huge relief to workers at this regional site and we look forward to continuing to assist members at Big W DC Warwick.

Times are changing in the Warehouse Industry – but the SDA will always be here to help members through any challenge they face.