In 2006, company workers at three distribution centres initiated industrial action in an attempt to win a collective employment agreement and pay rise.

[2] The company responded by suspending grocery distribution centre operations and allowing suppliers to send stock directly to supermarkets.

[5] The government gave Woolworths and Foodstuffs one year to establish substantial wholesale agreements or face additional regulation.

In September 2024, thousands of union-affiliated Woolworths supermarket workers went on a two-hour strike to demand better wages and working conditions.

[8] In mid-December 2024, Woolworths signed a new collective bargaining agreement with First Union, giving union-affiliated workers a 6.8 percent pay rise over a period of two years.