Investigation finds major supermarket supplier breached labour
guidelines
5 August 2011
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has concluded its
investigation into agency labour suppliers at the Kent-based
agricultural producer Thanet Earth and found that legal guidelines
have been breached.
Unite welcomes this investigation, but calls on the supermarket
clients - including Asda, M&S and Sainsbury’s - to go further
and uphold the commitments they have signed up to under the Ethical
Trading Initiative (ETI).
The GLA found that the agencies failed over the payment of wages
and failed to have adequate grievance and disciplinary procedures
in place. They also criticised Thanet Earth Marketing Ltd for
failing to take complaints over pay seriously, despite Unite
helping over 70 workers make complaints.
Unite has been pushing the ETI organisation and the supermarkets
to take action over wages, union rights and security of employment,
that goes beyond the legal, minimum standards upheld by the GLA and
meets their own, enhanced commitments.
Unite regional officer, Dave Weeks, said: "It is time for Asda,
M&S and Sainsbury’s to take their ethical commitments seriously
and help us ensure that Thanet Earth cleans up its act.
"We welcome the serious way in which the GLA has gone about its
duties. We now wish to see the same seriousness from the Ethical
Trading Initiative and the supermarkets that are signed up to
it.
“These big High Street brands claim to uphold the rights of all
workers in their supply chains. Yet Unite has complained that the
majority of workers at Thanet Earth are still in insecure
employment, and the agencies bypass legislation to avoid paying
industry rates. The company has also gone to extraordinary lengths
to prevent our organisers from speaking to workers. The GLA has
even found evidence of illegal breaches of its code.”
Recently dismissed worker, Vanda Sefer, added: "In my third year
of employment at Thanet Earth, and as a known union member, my work
was stopped when I took paid holiday. I had no dismissal hearing
and no right of appeal. This is how the agency scares people from
taking holidays and from joining the union. The supermarkets should
not let this happen to people."
ENDS
Contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315 or Mick Duncan on 07900
405 757
Notes to editors:
The GLA concluded that the method of calculation of holiday pay
and entitlement was neither transparent nor compliant with
guidelines; no one they talked to knew their entitlement or how it
was arrived at; and there was no clear statement of holiday pay
included on wage slips.
It also conceded that due to the numbers of complaints that were
made, Thanet Earth Marketing Ltd clearly knew there was a big
problem and should have acted on it. The company has been
instructed to improve on this.
The GLA also failed the agencies on a lack of grievance and
disciplinary procedures. Unite has helped over 70 agency workers
take grievances out, none of which have been acted on formally.
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