Shares of Woolworths Group (ASX:WOW) edged down in the recent Monday trade after Radio New Zealand reported on Dec. 24 that around 105 customer care workers had gone on strike the same day, protesting pay, the loss of work-from-home privileges, and mandatory weekend shifts.

The third strike in two weeks by Workers First Union members in the customer care team involves staff who manage online orders, process refunds, and handle customer inquiries, per the report.

Members were seeking higher wages, pushing back against the loss of entitlements such as one weekend day off per week and work-from-home privileges, and objecting to being on-call for 12 hours a day while only receiving pay for eight, the report said.

The company called the strike "disappointing," confirmed flexible work arrangements remain, and warned union demands would sharply raise contact center costs, the report added.