Coles
Adero Law filed a class action against Coles in May 2020 on behalf of salaried Coles Supermarkets and Coles Services managers. The class action claims that compensation and penalties should be paid to group members who were not paid enough for the hours they worked under the General Retail Industry Award
Latest Update
We attended a case management hearing on 20 March 2026 before the Honourable Justice Perram of the Federal Court of Australia. The parties in the Coles class action were in attendance, as was the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO).
Coles will be required to put forward any evidence it intends to rely upon in response to our amendment application, which seeks to extend the claim period for existing group members through to 31 October 2025. Depending on the evidence Coles provides, the class action will either press forward with the current amendment application or make appropriate revisions. If Coles does not consent, we will ask the Court to determine the application in April.
The Court was also attracted to the idea of the class action receiving the same employee records and information provided by Coles to the FWO. The parties have agreed to first confer on this issue before seeking orders from the Court. While the FWO proceeding does not cover the entire claim period, access to these records will assist in ensuring the class action is operating on the same information.
The final issue addressed at the hearing was declarations, which reflect the findings of the Court in the September 2025 judgment. The parties have been directed to provide final declarations and submissions in early April, after which the Court will determine and make the declarations. Once made, the parties will have the opportunity to appeal or cross-appeal.
We will provide a further update following the next hearing listed for 29 May 2026.
Class Action Coverage
You may be a group member in the Coles class action if you worked:
- in a salaried manager position
- at a supermarket operated by Coles SupermarketsÂ
- between May 2014 and June 2020
Many group members would have received a notice from the court by letter or email in February 2021. If you did not receive a notice from the court but believe you are a group member, please feel free to contact us.
We are also investigating a new class action against Coles for people who worked:
- in a salaried manager position
- at a supermarket operated by Coles SupermarketsÂ
- between May 2020 and October 2025
You can register to receive updates about the investigation.
About the Class Action
The class action was filed in May 2020 by Adero Law on behalf of Ms Pabalan, a Customer Service Manager who worked at Coles Roselands and other Coles stores in New South Wales.
Ms Pabalan alleges that the salary Coles paid to her was insufficient to satisfy her legal entitlements. Ms Pabalan claims she was working well beyond her rostered hours to keep her department running to the standard expected by Coles. Even when Kronos was introduced in late 2017, she wasn’t always able to record her hours of work accurately. Ms Pabalan started the class action to protect the interests of her former colleagues and ensure other salaried managers like her are fairly compensated for their work.