Green, who is involved in the negotiations, said Woolworths’ wage offer was significantly lower than that of their competitors.
No meaningful solution was being provided to the issue of persistent understaffing or providing incentives to fill unpopular night and weekend shifts, he said.
Despite falling profits, Woolworths was still a profitable company which was part of a duopoly.
The company was staging a $400 million rebranding and retrofitting of more than 170 stores.
Green said the supermarket remained open during the two-hour stop-work period with management available to serve the public.
First Union organiser Colleen Ryan said she had seen many strikes, pickets and stop-work protests, but she had never seen such enthusiasm as that displayed by the Woolworths workers.
They were enjoying the strong support of the public, she said.
A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was offering workers increases of between 6.8% and 10.1% over two years.
“Making sure our team is paid fairly has always been a priority for us and we’ve brought a strong offer to the table in our discussions with First Union. We are one of the leaders in pay for our sector.”
Woolworths said it had improved sick leave benefits, increased caregiver and bereavement leave, improved discounts it offered to staff, and in 2022 agreed to a 19% pay increase.
“Additionally, we’re under way with a $45 million investment in making our stores safer, including team safety cameras in all stores, trolley locks, fog cannons and double-entry gates.”
