Every worker counts this Christmas, Unite tells Tesco
18 December 2008
NATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS CONTINUE OUTSIDE TESCO STORES, 11am
until 1pm
Unite, Britain's biggest union, will continue its national
demonstrations outside Tesco stores today (18th December, see notes
to editors for locations) to alert shoppers stocking up to feed the
family this Christmas about a lack of information on meat labels
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 in London,
Hove, Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff, Kettering, Liverpool, Edinburgh
and Leeds. The demonstrators will hand out leaflets with a
photograph of a Tesco meat product to inform customers about what
is 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.
Consumers often do not 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.
Unite has presented Tesco with evidence that workers employed by
companies in its UK supply chain are experiencing harsh and
divisive conditions that in some cases are abusive. The union
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. 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 by companies 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 Pauline Doyle, Unite
press office, on 07976 832 861
Notes to editors:
All demonstrations will take place between 11am and 1pm on
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
Region Tesco Store
London & East 55 Morning Lane, Hackney, London E9 6ND
S East Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2DL.
S West Broadmead, 90 - 98 Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3DW
Ireland Royal Avenue, City Centre, Belfast.
Wales Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff, Glamorgan CF5 6XQ
E Mids Carina Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN15 6XB
N West Parker Street, Liverpool City Centre
Scotland 7 Broughton Road, Edinburgh, Lothian EH7 4EW
N East Bond Street, West Riding House, Leeds West Yorkshire LS1
5BQ
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.
