Offer made in bid to break Coles strike

11 Jul 2012, 7:34 pm   -   Source: AAP
Striking Coles warehouse workers have been threatened with legal action by transport company Toll. (AAP)

Striking Coles warehouse workers have been threatened with legal action by transport company Toll. (AAP)

The management of a key Coles warehouse have made a new offer to workers in a bid to end the strike action, which will enter its third day on Thursday.

Striking Coles workers in Melbourne will vote on a new wage offer on Thursday even though the union says it does not address the five key points of contention.

Toll, which manages staff at the Somerton warehouse on behalf of Coles, on Wednesday presented union officials with an updated offer in a bid to end strike action, which will continue into a third day on Thursday.

Two hundred workers continued to picket the gates of the key Coles warehouse in Melbourne's north throughout Wednesday after its 600 workers stopped work on 6am Tuesday, preventing goods from going in or out of the site.

Workers will meet at 2pm (AEST) on Thursday to discuss a new offer.

National Union of Workers (NUW) Victorian secretary Tim Kennedy said the offer did not meet the needs of workers in the five issues they want addressed, but members had a right to hear the offer and vote on whether to accept it.

"NUW officials will put the offer to the workers tomorrow and it will be up to them whether they choose to accept it or not," Mr Kennedy said.

The union will not make details of the offer public, saying workers should know what the offer is first.

Meanwhile, Coles has succeeded in blocking NSW workers from engaging in sympathy strikes.

On Wednesday afternoon, Fair Work Australia granted orders to prevent unprotected industrial action at key Coles distribution centre sites in NSW.

At 8am AEST on Wednesday morning, 76 workers at the Coles Goulburn distribution centre in NSW stopped work, despite being warned the walk-off was unlawful.

They returned to work at 12.30pm.

Toll had also warned it would not tolerate "illegal action" such as blocking staff and vehicles from entering or exiting the facility and was considering legal action.

"We will not tolerate illegal blockading and intimidation," Toll spokesman Chris Whitefield said in a statement.

"We will be assessing all options in terms of legal action against those participating in this unlawful behaviour."

A union spokesperson said some 80 workers would continue to picket the Somerton site throughout the night.

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