theActivist members in ENGLAND & WALES

Issue 99
December 2020

IRELAND

Join the union and help us

Don’t let the festive season be organise for
•No lifting of any Covid measures

one of misery for retail workers without agreement from elected lo-
cal health & safety committees/reps
•Full pay for all workers self-isolat-
Ryan Aldred, Usdaw South simply remained just pieces safety measures including
Wales & Western Executive of paper as companies eyed store capacities. ing or furloughed from day one - no
Council candidate up their bottom lines. to forcing staff to use holidays
Such measures will be • An immediate £12/hour minimum
The three days leading up to Over the last few months, we justified by the bosses saying wage as a step to £15 + hazard pay
the England-wide lockdown have seen shops getting more that otherwise they could go •Increase staffing levels in store to
were a taste of things to come and more lax at implementing under. With companies such carry out any necessary cleaning &
with shoppers flooding to the such measures, meaning that as Arcadia group (including
hygiene duties, bring back in house
high street to squeeze in shopworkers are put at Topshop, Miss Selfridges) and
outsourced cleaners. Full time con-
Christmas shopping. increased risk. Supposedly Edinburgh Woolen Mills
tracts to all those who want them
“safe” store capacity levels (including Peacocks) having
The announcement of a have been subject to inflation fallen into administration and •Scrap the 2 year qualifying period -
second lockdown came after through the pandemic, Debenhams ceasing trading, Full employment rights from day one
months of the Tories leading to supermarkets now then this is a real threat. • Scrap performance targets
mishandling the pandemic, being the leading place for •Time and a half for all overtime
leading to a deadly second Covid transmissions. Though In the first instance these worked over contracted hours
wave of coronavirus. Yet, the 24 hour openings are companies should turn over •Reinstate lost paid breaks and
despite his proclamation that supposed to reduce their books to trade union premium payments, double pay on
“we must act now” the overcrowding in the run up to inspection to ensure that Sundays and time and a half on
second lockdown was Xmas, none of those opening they’re not simply trying to Saturdays. No extension of Sunday
initiated four days after the 24 hours have announced protect the shareholders at trading
announcement leading to a plans to lower capacity limits! the expense of the workers. If •Trade union control over changing
frenzied rush to the shops to companies are genuinely
staff duties, hiring and firing, and
stock up for the holiday This shows the short-sighted struggling they should be
nature of the ‘tripartite’ brought into public ownership opening time changes
season. •35 hour working week without loss
approach of ‘partnership’ to protect jobs. Such a
Undoubtedly, bosses in retail with the employers and Tory demand should be included of pay
will be keen to throw their government that Usdaw in Usdaw’s new deal for •Open the books to trade union in-
doors wide open on General Secretary Paddy Lillis workers campaign as it is spection if companies say they can’t
December 2nd as they try to seems to promote on every already union policy. afford these measures
claw back lost revenue, and occasion. Over the last few • Bailout workers, not the bosses
many shops are intending on weeks, the Activist has Usdaw is the fifth largest and the speculators. Camapign for
opening for 24 hours a day received numerous reports trade union in Britain with nationalisation to save jobs.
after the government from lay members and union close to 400,000 members •Democratically elected committees
announced it would relax reps about store capacities with hundreds of thousands of workers and consumers to control
opening rules in England. being dramatically increased, more shop, distributive and prices and any rationing policies at
and when this has been allied workers desperately in all levels.
During the first UK wide raised with the union it is need of trade union
•For socialist planning to put the
lockdown businesses were treated as an individual store organisation. By building an
keen to show how audacious campaign to needs of workers first, not share-
issue, not something to
“responsible” they were by defend jobs, fight for decent holders profits.
collectively tackle within
introducing customer limits these companies or across pay including hazard pay and Join Usdaw - usdaw.org.uk/join
and implementing the sector. unsocial hours premium
government guidelines on payments, and demand Jointhe fightback
Covid secure workplaces. On Instead of leaving union reps workers control and
paper, the guidance issued
jointly by the British Retail
to effectively fend for management of safety whilst
themselves, the collective developing a strategy of JOINTHE
Consortium and Usdaw,
looked like it should protect
retail workers – but without
strength of the union should public ownership to overcome
be brought to bear through a the looming crisis in retail,
trade union led campaign thousands more could be won ●
SOCIALISTS
England & Wales
the union using its collective over workplace safety, with to Usdaw to enthusiastically socialistparty.org.uk
strength to monitor and health and safety reps and take up the fight. ● Scotland
socialistpartyscotland.org.uk
enforce these rules, then they committee signing off on ● Ireland militant-left.org

usdawactivist.wordpress.com ■ usdawactivist@gmail.com ■ Facebook: ‘Usdaw Activist’ ■ Twitter: @UsdawActivist

theActivist the bulletin of CWI members in

Sainsburys & Argos - Cuts,

closures and soaring sales?
The news of over 3,000 job by 26% up to £301m for the the unions recognised in until March next year, then
cuts, closures of Sainsbury’s half year. It’s the statutory Sainsbury’s have released there is time to build such a
meat, fish and deli counters profit, ie the underlying profit statements which seem to campaign.
as well as the closures of 420 adjusted by one off costs in accept the closures of
standalone Argos stores, which a loss has been counters as largely inevitable, Likewise, in their retail
alongside posting a £137m registered for the year. reconciling themselves that industrial strategy, Usdaw
loss for the half year to end of many workers could be championed a ‘bricks and
September will have been a Yet over that same half year, redeployed into the expanding clicks’ approach to expanding
bombshell to many Sainsbury’s have reduced net home delivery services and online retail, which would see
Sainsbury’s and Argos debt by £610m. Moreover, infrastructure. But why accept physical stores maintained as
workers. they’re paying out both a such closures as inevitable? an important part of
special dividend for the infrastructure for returns etc.
Like all the major delayed 2019/20 financial It’s true that in recent years, But this will not happen by
supermarkets – Sainsbury’s year, plus a dividend for the faced with the growth of wishful thinking or asking
had seen surges in sales current half-year period as discounters Lidl and Aldi, that retail bosses nicely, if such a
under lockdown, from the well! many of the big supermarkets strategy is to be pursued then
initial ‘panic-buying’ surge have attempted to copy parts the union must organise a
through to competitors in non- So if all of this can be afforded of their model, which includes fight for this in the here and
food sales being closed. Like from this half-year’s income, cutting costs wherever now.
for like retail sales are up by why then make these possible, including not having
6.9% as a result. Despite cutbacks? It’s simply that staffed counters. Whilst More than ever, a co-
lockdown, sales in Argos having lived without keeping retaining meat and fish ordinated approach is needed
(whose standalone stores had these counters and stores counters, Tesco have already from the unions representing
to shut as non-essential) have open for part or all of the last used this crisis to shut their Sainsbury’s and Argos staff,
risen by 11%. 6 months, Sainsbury’s bosses deli counters. Usdaw and Unite. Currently,
have decided they don’t need neither has full collective
Many of the supermarkets these and the workers who Yet counters offer a far bargaining rights within the
have talked about additional staff them to keep pilling on precise portion size than pre- company, and the Sainsbury’s
spending due to the the profits. packed products ever can, as bosses play each union off
pandemic, in Sainsbury’s well as advice for shoppers against each other – this has
case this is around £290m, Undoubtedly, this has been and the opportunity to speak to end.
yet this additional spending reinforced by 90% of Argos to someone face-to-face,
was largely offset by business sales now being received which for some, especially There should be joint
rates relief of £230m. digitally (although this elderly shoppers, is welcome. meetings called of
includes collecting in store), Sainsbury’s and Argos
When the figures are up from 61% a year ago. Why couldn’t the retail unions workers in both unions to
examined further, then even link up with customers in their discuss the situation urgently
with a loss of £55m from its Another key part of the local communities to build a and develop a strategy to fight
banking business, proposals is plans to close campaign to save counter to defend these jobs.
Sainsbury’s group underlying meat, fish and deli counters in services? With redundancy
profit has actually increased store. Unfortunately, both of notices not coming into effect

Richie Venton: Active Campaign Forces Payout

After 2 months of employer offered a payout their planned attacks on sick Paddy Lillis had given active
campaigning outside IKEA ahead of the trial - a likely sign pay back when news of support to the campaign from
stores across the country, the that they felt Richie had a Richie’s victimisation broke in the beginning.
campaign against the legitimate case to challenge late August.
victimisation of Usdaw EC them on. As it is, IKEA management
member and union rep, Richie However, given the have still managed to sack a
Venton, has won its second This is a vindication for all preparedness of Usdaw member of Usdaw’s executive
success. Ahead of an Usdaw members and the members in Richie’s store to council, meaning that
employment tribunal which wider trade union movement take strike action, then more companies could use similar
Richie finally got Usdaw which has supported Richie, could have been won, if tactics to remove other
support for his case at, the coming after IKEA dropped Usdaw’s leadership around prominent union activists.

usdawactivist.wordpress.com ■ usdawactivist@gmail.com ■ Facebook: ‘Usdaw Activist’ ■ Twitter: @UsdawActivist