Coles not Doles: Melbourne picket

Workers at a major Coles distribution centre in Melbourne are blocking vehicles from entering and leaving the facility, as part of a protest against a deal that will see their employment outsourced to Toll Holdings Ltd.

Coles, owned by conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd, has struck a deal with Toll that will see all staff working at the warehouse employed by the logistics firm.

The workers' enterprise agreement expired last week.

The National Union of Workers (NWU) represents the warehouse staff, which man one of two Coles national distribution centres in the supermarket's network.

NWU state secretary Tim Kennedy said Coles, by outsourcing the staff, was refusing to give employees the same conditions enjoyed by other Coles workers.