Video: ALDI drivers win right to speak out about safety concerns, 7 News, 6 Mar 2020
Transport is Australia’s deadliest industry. Cost-cutting at the top of supply chains by wealthy retailers, like Aldi, puts pressure on transport workers and operators to speed, skip their rest breaks and delay maintaining their trucks.
Transport workers held multiple national actions over the last two years over the wealthy retailer’s refusal to address safety in its supply chain and its attack on free speech through a Federal Court case against the Transport Workers’ Union.
Video: Why truckies join the Aldi protest, 16 Oct 2019
Video: TWU NSW Delegates Took Action against Aldi, 29 August 2019
Video: Truckies Revved Up, Protesting outside Aldi at Port Adelaide | 10 News, 11 September 2019
Audio: FiveAA’s Leon Byner interviewed with Transport Workers’ Union National Secretary Michael Kaine on TWU protest against Aldi at Port Adelaide, 11 September 2019
“We have wealthy retailers like Aldi squeezing the transport industry to line their own pockets. For two years now transport workers have protested at Aldi stores over safety issues. While they try to silence us, people are dying on our roads,” said TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine.
“Every day that Aldi continues its attempt to silence truck drivers is a day that they endanger lives on our roads,” said TWU SA/NT Branch Secretary Ian Smith.
The Federal Government tore down a road safety watchdog in 2016 despite reporting it would have reduced truck crashes by 28%. Since then, 632 people have died in truck crashes, including 139 truck drivers, as at 19 September 2019.
A major agreement between the TWU and Coles was signed during the union’s National Council in Adelaide in 2018. The agreement involved principles to ensure fair conditions for workers in the Coles supply chain and the on-demand economy. A separate charter has been signed previously with Woolworths.