Unite urges Marks & Spencer to force its supplier Thanet Earth
to dump rotten labour practices
1 July 2011
Where: Marks & Spencer headquarters, Waterside
House, 35 North Wharf Road, London W2
1NW
When: Friday 1 July 2011,
13:00
Unite activists, joined by a giant tomato, will be dumping
unwanted tomatoes at Marks & Spencer’s headquarters in a
protest at the alleged treatment of workers at one of M&S’s
suppliers, Thanet Earth.
Unite has been taking up complaints from the workforce, who pick
and pack tomatoes and other salad and fruits, over alleged
irregular labour conditions. The alleged offences include hostility
to union organisation, bullying, taking bribes by agency
supervisors and managers, and denial of holiday entitlement and
pay.
Unite regional industrial officer, Dave Weeks, said: "We want to
highlight the rotten working conditions at Thanet Earth. Most
workers have no direct contract of employment and can be hired and
fired at will. This is a major supplier to M&S which claims to
be an ethical retailer. It is time for the supermarket to insist
that Thanet Earth cleans up its act.
"The action comes at the same time that the Gangmasters
Licensing Authority (GLA) is expected to report on a catalogue of
allegations submitted by Unite the union on behalf of Thanet Earth
workers."
A GLA spokesperson was quoted by the Thanet Gazette last week as
saying, "There is evidence of breaches of GLA standards" and
threatened that "we can remove the licence because of
non-compliance.”
Unite will continue to bring the case to the attention of
M&S in the run-up to the company's AGM on 13 July.
In the run up to Thanet Earth harvesting operation in 2009, the
company promised 500 jobs for local people in one of the most
depressed regions of the UK. Almost two years on, the vast majority
of the workforce still have no permanent contract, no job security
and work through four different agencies in a system of permanent
casualisation.
In 2010 Thanet Earth introduced a second agency – HRGO – into
the pack house, creating more competition and insecurity for
workers and resulting in the scrapping of the weekly rota system
and forcing workers to telephone their agency on a daily basis for
work.
ENDS
Contact the Unite press office on 0203 371 2065
Notes to editors:
1) Thanet Earth is part of the Fresca Group Ltd. Other companies
growing at Thanet Earth are Dutch firms Rainbow Growers Group,
Kaaij Greenhouses and A&A
2) The agencies employed at Thanet Earth are Kent Staff, HRGO,
Worldwide Recruitment and Red Eagle
3) Most of the major supermarkets in the UK are signatories to
the Ethical Trading Initiative base-code which states regular
employment must be provided and free association and union
organisation facilitated, see: http://www.ethicaltrade.org/eti-base-code
