Woolies trolley pushers pushed out

Dozens of locals with a disability will lose their jobs collecting trolleys at Woolworths stores after the supermarket giant stripped the contract from Great Southern Personnel Workforce.

The Albany-based disability employment agency, which offers job opportunities for people with a disability, has held the Woolworths contract for the past 17 years.

GSP chief executive Tracy Neilson said that on August 12, they were advised by Woolworths that their contract had been terminated, a decision which would come into effect on Sunday next week..

“In early 2018, Woolworths entered into a nationwide tender process for the delivery of the Woolworths Trolley Collection contracts,” Ms Neilson said.

“The Woolworths Trolley Collection contract has provided ongoing employment for GSP WF employees for the past 17 years.

“GSP WF is looking forward to receiving contact from the new supplier and discussing the potential of job opportunities for GSP WF employees.”

One of GSP’s disabled workers, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Advertiser that some of his colleagues had been pushing trolleys under the contract for more than a decade.

“I only started there last year but there are some guys that have been there 16 years,” he said. “We all have disabilities of some kind, all of us who push the trolleys.

“All of the workers have all different sorts of disabilities.

“We went to a meeting and were told. All the workers had a really bad reaction (to the news).

“It is short notice and we have got to find other work.”

A Woolworths spokeswoman said GSP’s details had been passed on to the new supplier for their consideration.

The new supplier could not be named because contracts were still being finalised.

“As part of our ongoing procurement due diligence we undertook a national tender for trolley collection services,” she said.

“Great Southern Personnel was unfortunately unsuccessful as part of this process.”