Coles set to axe meat department in significant job restructure proposal

Coles is set to give its own meat department the chop under significant proposed changes for the supermarket chain.

It would see all of its meat team staff (such as butchers) made redundant or retrained.

3AW Drive received multiple tip-offs about the news on Thursday afternoon.

Under the proposed changes, all meat department products would arrive pre-cut, packaged, and labelled ready to be displayed on shelf at the supermarkets, meaning products would no longer be cut or trimmed in-store.

“As you are aware, Coles operates in a highly competitive retail landscape, and customer expectations continue to grow – particularly in the areas of convenience, consistency, and availability,” staff were told in an email.

“The proposal we are considering for our meat operating model would allow us to better serve our customers and remain competitive into the future.

“We understand change can be unsettling, and we would like to highlight that these proposed changes are in no way a reflection of our team members performance or their commitment.”