“Britain’s Supermarkets should hang their head in shame” –
Unite
13 March 2010
Unite welcomes landmark Inquiry by the Equalities and Human
Rights Commission into exploitation, discrimination and
undercutting in the 88,000-strong meat industry.
“Britain’s Supermarkets should hang their heads in shame”, Unite
Deputy General Secretary, Jack Dromey today (Saturday 13th March)
said welcoming the damning indictment by the Equalities and Human
Rights Commission, in a forensic report into exploitation,
undercutting and discrimination in the 88,000-strong meat industry,
supplying red and white meat products to the nation’s household
name supermarkets.
Mr Dromey continued: . "Supermarkets have driven down costs
along their supply chain with tens of thousands of workers paying
the price, suffering discrimination and unfair treatment. A
two-tier labour market has been created exploiting migrant agency
workers on poorer conditions of employment and undercutting
directly-employed workers on better conditions of employment. That
divides workforces and damages social cohesion in local
communities. Unite has fought for equal treatment of all workers
and we welcome the call from the EHRC for workers doing the same
job to be paid the same
Turning to the wider evidence of shocking abuse, Jack Dromey
said “The EHRC report exposes labour practices in the supermarket
supply chain that are an affront to human decency – physical and
verbal abuse, a lack of health and safety protection, shameful
treatment of pregnant women and a culture of fear. The report says,
and rightly so, that there are reputable employers but they are
undercut by the rogues.”
“The customers of Britain’s supermarkets demand high standards
and fair trade. Some supermarkets have taken welcome initiatives to
curb the worst excesses in their suppliers. Only ASDA has acted to
end exploitation and undercutting in their supply chain, moving to
a new ethical model of supply chain management – efficient,
effective and with fair and equal treatment of workers. ASDA has
led. The others have lagged behind. The message from the EHRC is
unmistakable. The meat industry must change and all supermarkets
should accept their responsibility. All workers doing the same job
should enjoy equal treatment. All workers should be treated with
respect. And there should be no second class citizen in 21st
Century Britain.”
“The EHRC is right to challenge all those with responsibility to
act” Mr Dromey concluded. “Supermarkets, suppliers, employment
agencies, Government, enforcement agencies and trade unions, we
must all work together. We will be at the table rising to the
challenge posed by this landmark Inquiry.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Jack Dromey 07976 833362
Ciaran Naidoo 07768 931315
