Major supermarkets have begun rationing milk sales to avert Covid-style panic buying as the impacts of a major dairy workers’ strike begin to hit consumers.
Stores in Melbourne‘s south-east were limiting customers to two bottles of milk each after 1,550 workers at Fonterra, Saputo, Lactalis and Peters factories walked off the job.
The supply of Woolworths home brand milk and cream, plus Western Star butter, Peters ice cream and some popular cheeses and yoghurts could also be affected.
Some Woolworths stores carried notes warning of ‘product shortages on our Woolworths milk range’ due to ‘supply disruptions’.
‘Limit on milk is 2 units per customer. Thank you for understanding during the milk short,’ said a sign on a fridge door at the Murrumbeena IGA.
Major supermarkets have begun rationing milk sales to avert Covid-style panic buying as the impacts of a major dairy workers’ strikes begin to hit consumers
The supply of Woolworths home brand milk and cream, plus Western Star butter, Peters ice cream and some popular cheeses and yoghurts could also be affected
The store’s owner Karen Meredith told the Herald Sun it was ‘absolutely slammed’ on Wednesday morning with shoppers buying three two litre bottles each.
‘We got caught out with the toilet paper thing in Covid so we thought it was reasonable to just put a limit on,’ she said.
Lindsay Carroll of the National Retail Association pleaded with consumers to remain calm and courteous with supermarket workers during the strike.
‘The effects of the strikes have already spilled over into the retail sector with businesses putting up ‘out of dairy’ signs, and as frustration mounts around the shortages.’
Dairy Farmers Victoria executive officer Andrew Curtis promised Australian families should still be able to find enough milk for their ‘Weeties and lattes’.
The workers striking for better pay include 150 milk tanker drivers and 1400 dairy factory workers from four major producers.
In some cases Victorian dairy farmers have been forced to dump 14,000 litres of milk – worth $10,000 – as Saputo tanker drivers complying with the Transport Workers Union-led strike refused to do their usual pick-ups.
The drivers’ strike is over a new enterprise bargaining agreement. They want higher pay and are also said to be unhappy about start times.
Workers at the dairy factories were upset at pay rises between 2.5 and 3 per cent, while the union wants at least 5 per cent.
‘It’s time to pay the workers who put the products on the shelves a decent wage, and give us back some respect,’ said United Worker’s Union delegate Dan Brown.
Dairy workers are unhappy at low pay increases while tanker drivers want better conditions
Supplies of several popular dairy items, especially milk are expected to be in short supply by Thursday
Dairy Farmers Victoria executive officer Andrew Curtis promised Australian families should still be able to find enough milk for their ‘Weeties and lattes’
‘Today, we know we’ve got the backing of 1400 other people. We’ve all come together to fight for a fair and reasonable pay increase,’ another worker on the picket line said in a video posted online.
Photos of striking workers flooded social media, with some displaying banners reading messages that mimicked popular brand names produced by their factories including ‘MaxiCon – dairy workers on strike’ and ‘My Low Wages’.
‘Workers are sick and tired of being milked for all they’re worth by big dairy companies! Time’s up – workers need a fair pay offer,’ said a post on X from the UWU.
Daily Mail Australia approached Coles and Woolworths for comment.
