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Unite's national demonstrations continue outside Tesco stores

11 December 2008

Unite, Britain's biggest union, will continue its national demonstrations outside Tesco stores today (11th December see notes to editors) to alert the public about the lack of information on meat labelling and the treatment of workers employed by companies in the supply chain that produces meat for Tesco stores.

Demonstrators will leaflet customers, accompanied by giant chickens outside nine Tesco stores across the country (London, Southampton, Bristol, Belfast, Chester, Dudley, Liverpool, Aberdeen and Leeds. See notes to editors). The demonstrators will hand out leaflets with a photo of a Tesco meat product to alert customers about what's not on the meat label.

The union believes that retailers like Tesco are using imported meat from countries like Thailand and the increase of cheap meat imports is contributing to the driving down of conditions for low-paid workers in Britain and Ireland, who are employed by companies in the meat supply chain.

For consumers, they often don't know how long ago the meat product was slaughtered, where it was cooked, or whether it has undergone preserving processes such as chilling or freezing either before or after it has been cooked. The label often does not say.

The union has presented Tesco with evidence that workers in its UK supply chain are experiencing harsh and divisive conditions that in some cases are abusive. Unite believes that structural discrimination exists in many parts of the supply chain that provides meat to Tesco.

Unite joint general secretary, Tony Woodley, said: "We believe that Tesco’s procurement practices are creating divisions between migrant and indigenous workers across Britain and Ireland.

"We believe the supermarket's desire to source meat more cheaply is contributing to a race to the bottom in the UK supply chain. But the meat label from products sourced overseas often does not tell consumers what they should know about the meat product they are buying.

"It's time for Tesco to value its meat supply chain and make sure every worker counts. The power is in the hands of Tesco to make a real difference.

"Unite is calling on Tesco to use its influence to ensure companies in its meat supply chain sign a minimum standards agreement and to establish Tesco Ethical Model Factories."

As an indication of the seriousness of Unite's claims, the powerful Equality and Human Rights Commission has announced that it is to examine the UK's multi-billion pound meat industry in England and Wales for evidence of employment abuse and discrimination.

The Tesco launch is part of an ongoing campaign by Unite to improve the treatment of workers, including agency workers, in the UK supermarket supply chain. Unite is concerned that agency workers are often on poorer conditions of employment than core workers and the undercutting of directly-employed workers has caused division in the workplace and damaged social cohesion.

A permanent two tier workforce has opened up in the meat supply industry in the UK, where mainly migrant agency labour are on worse terms and conditions than directly employed staff often for doing the same job, causing division in workplaces and communities.

Dramatic casualisation of work so that hundreds of workers employed in the supply chain of meat to Tesco do not know day to day, or week to week, what work they have and risk being punished for not using agency housing or transport by the withdrawal of regular work.

ENDS

For further information please contact Ciaran Naidoo in the Unite Press Office on 07768 931 315.

Notes to editors:

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, established in 2007, is to use its powers to undertake its first ever Inquiry into a key sector of the economy. The Inquiry will consider the two-tier employment practices within the meat supply chain, a significant industry employing some 40,000 workers across Britain engaged in processing and packing meat for sale in supermarkets and retailers across the British Isles.

The Commission will be examining the relationship between employment and supply chain practices with forced down terms and conditions and abuse of workers within the sector. In particular, the Commission will be examining the differentials in treatment between agency and permanent workers, UK and migrant workers, and the knock-on effect of this for community relations.

Ethical Model Factories would be based on the belief that all workers undertaking the same work, who are equally qualified, should be treated equally from the commencement of employment, including being paid equally, regardless of employment status. Unite is also committed to ensuring agency workers have a route to permanent employment following 13 weeks of continuous work.