Melbourne, Australia – Supermarket giant Woolworths has successfully negotiated a deal with striking union workers at four of its key distribution centers in Victoria and New South Wales. The agreement, reached on Saturday, will allow the centers to resume operations and alleviate supply chain disruptions that have led to empty shelves in recent weeks.

The impacted distribution centers include the Melbourne South Regional Distribution Center, Melbourne Liquor Distribution Center, Wodonga Regional Distribution Center, and Erskine Park Distribution Center. These facilities have been idle for 17 days due to industrial action by the United Workers Union and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association.

Woolworths CEO Amanda Bardwell expressed relief at the resolution, acknowledging the inconvenience caused to customers. She stated, “We would once again like to apologize to our customers. We know how frustrating it has been to shop in-store and online with us in recent weeks in Victoria, the ACT, and parts of NSW.”

Bardwell also extended gratitude to the company’s teams who worked diligently to minimize the impact of the strike and to customers for their understanding and patience.

With the agreement in place, Woolworths is now focused on swiftly replenishing stock levels and restoring normal operations at its affected stores.