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Supreme Court expected to enforce end to Coles Warehouse strike

Despite predictions that striking workers at the Coles factory in Melbourne will lose their legal battle today, they have pledged to continue their industrial action.

After the 600 striking workers at the Sommerton factory won the right from Fair Work Australia to continue picketing on Friday, management of the warehouse then applied on Saturday for an emergency injunction to end the strike.

Toll Group lawyer Stuart Wood said the 600 striking workers need to be stopped to allow the 150 workers who want to go back to work, to do so.

'There are real-life individuals whose livelihoods are being impacted by the picket,' he told the court.

'It is having a deleterious impact on employees who wish to cross the picket and work at the Somerton site.'

The Toll Group have told the Victorian Supreme Court that stopping the strike by National Union of Workers (NUW) members is urgent because they have blocked trucks from entering or exiting the Somerton warehouse since Tuesday.

The matter was adjourned until today when union lawyers failed to appear in court.

They were not present because they had not been properly served with legal documents, which Wood said was a deliberate action intended to create significant tactical advantage by extending the blockade until today.

NUW state secretary Tim Kennedy told reporters at the picket line yesterday, that he is expecting the Supreme Court rule in favour of Toll’s application.

He said workers will continue to strike regardless.

The workers are calling for better pay and conditions.

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