Pay strike to hit "top people's" store
28 July 2008
Harrods, the world's most famous store, faces the prospect of
summer strike action which could cause serious disruption during
the busy tourist season.
Unite the union is to ballot 275 essential workers including the
engineers responsible for maintaining lifts, escalators and air
conditioning. The drivers, warehouse operatives, engineers and
maintenance workers are furious that they have been excluded from
extra leave entitlement given to shop floor staff.
The staff are also angry that they have been offered a below
inflation pay offer of 3.5% at a time when rising food and energy
costs are going through the roof.
Unite regional officer Debbie McSweeney said: "If this strike goes
ahead the rich and famous might have to find somewhere to do their
shopping. Our members keep Harrods running, they ensure the lights
stay on, the building operates safely and shoppers can get about
the store. It is difficult to imagine how the shop could function
properly without them.
"Unless Harrods return to the negotiating table with an improved
and fairer deal for our members, the world's most famous store
faces a very expensive strike."
Unite understands that staff were told by the store's owner, Mr Al
Fayed, over the Harrods loudspeaker that, due to their hard work,
staff would get an extra two days leave. However, staff in
the union later learned that their employer had excluded them from
this arrangement.
Richard Munn, a Unite regional official, added that the workers
feared they were treated differently because they were members of
Unite: "It is very worrying that those workers who were not given
two extra days holidays are in a recognised union, while the shop
floor workers who got the extra leave do not have a recognised
union.
"Harrods shoppers will be surprised to learn that the "top
people's" shop treats its workers in this way."
The ballot for industrial action begins on Monday, August 4th, 2008
and close on Monday, August 18th, 2008.
ENDS
For further information contact the Unite press office on 020 420
8938/07976 832 861.
