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Hundreds of Transport Worker Union (TWU) members have descended on Aldi's headquarters in Sydney in a bid for stronger safety agreements for drivers.
About 500 union members are set to protest outside Aldi's Minchinbury head office today to sign a charter on supply chain safety and demand a transport enterprise agreement, or for supply chain safety to be roped into the new transport reform laws.
Aldi directly employs some truck drivers however there is currently no legislative agreement which protects pay, conditions and safety protections.
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The rest of the German supermarket's other transport needs are contracted out – a similar model to Coles and Woolworths – but TWU said Aldi has not yet negotiated a charter to ensure better working conditions.
It comes as a number of workplace injuries and safety risks were identified and fines were issued by SafeWork.
Truck and heavy vehicle crashes account for a huge number of worker deaths in Australia.
The road transport industry accounted for 21 per cent of all worker fatalities between 2017 and 2021, according to the National Truck Accident Research Centre's Major Accident Report.
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The TWU has made applications using the federal transport reform laws to push for change in the food delivery and last mile sectors.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine has called for Aldi to "come to the table" for supply chain safety in Australia.
"Shocking reports have come to light of significant worker injuries that Aldi refused to take seriously. It's time Aldi listens to workers and gets on board or gets out of the way," he said.
"To pass lifesaving transport reform laws, the entire transport industry came together to find a way to make this industry better. Aldi has continually stuck its head in the sand, and today we're calling on Aldi to work with us on safety in its supply chain. We are prepared to use new legislative powers to their full effect to bring outliers like Aldi, and other wealthy supply chain clients, into line.
"Aldi took truck drivers to court twice to stop them speaking out on safety – and lost. It's time for Aldi to be on the right side of reshaping this industry, and work towards reducing the crisis in transport instead of profiting from it."
This follows Australian gig workers lodging the first application to the Fair Work Commission under the new transport reform laws.
An Aldi spokesperson told 9News.com.au it takes road transport safety seriously.
"Aldi recognises our role as a key player in the transport industry and we take proactive measures to ensure that our commitment to driver safety is consistently maintained," the statement read.
"Aldi has a Heavy Vehicle Safety and Corporate Responsibility Charter that applies to our supply chain, and aligns with requirements from SafeWork and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
"We are committed to ensuring safe work practices and sustainability within our supply chain and work with all our suppliers and transport providers to achieve this."
