Supermarket workers attacked in shocking footage
Woolworths has released shocking footage of attacks on its staff, which the supermarket giant says are on the rise.
Workers say they’re not being properly cared for, calling for new protection laws to be fast tracked.
Workers say they’re not being properly cared for, calling for new protection laws to be fast tracked. 9News
One video shows a worker violently assaulted as he escorts some youths out of a store.
One smashes him in the head with a glass jar and the 55-year-old falls to the ground.
Woolworths head of acts of violence and aggression Sarah Faorlin called it a “horrific incident”.
Workers say they’re not being properly cared for, calling for new protection laws to be fast tracked. 9News
“The teammate was suffering severe injuries and is still in recovery,” she said.
A few months earlier another worker at the same store in Goonellabah in Northern New South Wales was verbally abused then dragged by the hair.
Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association NSW branch secretary Bernie Smith called the incidents were “completely unacceptable” but said they were the sort of thing members faced every day.
The supermarket giant released the alarming videos to demand action.
Its workers in NSW reported 1400 violent incidents in 2025, up 5 per cent on the year before.
Of those, 88 incidents involved from knives.
“So enough is enough, our team are fed up,” Faorlin said.
“We’re calling on the NSW government to urgently expedite the implementation of workplace protection orders.”
Laws would see persistently abusive customers banned from re entering stores.
The ACT has had these tough laws in place for a decade now and has seen a 92 per cent reduction in reoffending.
“WA is about to adopt these and it’s time that NSW does a well,” Smith said.
The state government is asking for patience
“We’re hoping we can introduce legislation sometime this year,” Minister for Work Health And Safety Sophie Cotsis said.
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