Unite continues demonstrations outside Tesco stores
26th February 2009
Date: Thursday, 26th February 2009
Time: 11.00am - 1.00pm
Unite, Britain's biggest union, will continue its national
demonstrations outside Tesco stores today (Thursday, 26th
February).
Demonstrators will leaflet customers outside eight Tesco stores
across the UK (London, Bristol, Belfast, Bangor, Northamptonshire,
Manchester, Galashiels and Leeds (see notes to editors). The
demonstrators will hand out leaflets to alert customers to working
conditions for workers employed by companies that supply meat to
Tesco.
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.
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 demonstration 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,
which employers can use to undercut directly-employed workers
leading to division in the workplace and damaging social
cohesion.
ENDS
For further information please contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768
931 315
Notes to editors:
- London and Eastern/South East: 55 Morning Lane, Hackney,
London E9 6ND
- Ireland Royal Avenue, Belfast
- Midlands Carina Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15
6XB
- North East Leeds Bond Street, West Riding House, Leeds LS1
5BQ
- North West Tesco Express, Quay St Manchester, M3 3BB
- Scotland Paton Street, Galashiels, Central TD1 3AT
- South West: Tesco Broadmead 90 - 98 Broadmead
Bristol BS1 3DW
- Wales Tesco Extra, Caernarfon Rd, Bangor, LL57 4SU
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.
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