Bulletin of Socialist Party members working in retail and distribution
ADM bulletin number 1, April 2009
‘I’d like to thank all the delegates and visitors to this conference who voted for me in
the election for General Secretary helping me achieve 40.6% of the vote’ Robbie Segal
Dear Sisters and Brothers
Unfortunately, 2009 is developing into one of the hardest years faced by retail workers for decades. During my campaign for Usdaw’s general secretary, I said that what was at stake was the future direction of the union.
My socialist message received 40% of the vote. If the election had taken place today, I am sure the bankruptcy of the present leadership’s policies - as shown by their response to the economic crisis - would have given me even more votes. My warning that there needed to be a change of attitude because the union would not be ready to face the challenges of the impending economic crisis has proven correct. It is clear from recent reports that two of the major UK banks came within hours of collapse and New Labour came to their rescue and the tax payer paid the bill. Our members have contributed millions to save the banks and yet when our jobs are threatened there is no help for us.
What is needed is a militant programme of action which includes: demonstrations, lobbying the government, occupations of the stores and workplaces, and the nationalisation of the major retailers. The trade unions have been silent, Usdaw must demand at the TUC that a progamme of coordinated action be planned which must include one day stoppages. John Hannett and the policies of Usdaw leaders’ have been tested with their response to the Woolworth closure. They have failed. We need Usdaw to fight for every job and argue for nationalisation of all large retail and distribution outlets when they threaten closure or redundancy. I am backing the No2EU- Yes to Democracy challenge in the Euroelections, see below for more info.
Comradely
Robbie Segal
No2EU-Yes to Democracy offers the only realistic alternative of persuading workers rightly disgusted with the mainstream capitalist parties not to cast a protest vote for the BNP. No candidate on the No2EU list would benefit financially from their election and they would use the nominal position of MEP to fight against the EU’s neo-liberal agenda, in Britain and Europe. No2EU is a coalition for the European elections, and is only a tentative first step to independent working-class political representation. It will at bottom provide a pro-worker alternative to New Labour in June’s poll.
Support the Union Led Challenge to New Labour
THE MILLIONS of people now facing job losses, home repossessions, short-time working and wage cuts can expect nothing from the pro-market establishment politicians. After all, these are the same people who got us into this mess in the first place!
It was Gordon Brown, for example, who boasted at a speech before business leaders at London’s Mansion House just 18 months ago, that the New Labour government had helped create “a new golden age for the City”. He speaks now of the need for ‘new global rules’. But then he hailed the unleashed financial markets for creating a “new world order”, achieving “the greatest restructuring of the global economy, perhaps even greater than the industrial revolution”! Workers and young people suffering the consequences of his pro-big business policies have no mass political party to represent them as the crisis of the free market system deepens.
That’s why the announcement that the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union (RMT) is backing an electoral alliance to contest the forthcoming European elections in June is so important. For the first time ever a national trade union, the RMT, the most militant industrial
union in Britain, is mounting an electoral challenge to New Labour, under the name No2EU-Yes to Democracy.
No2EU-Yes to Democracy concentrates on opposition to the European Union (EU) constitution (now re-packaged as the Lisbon treaty), which enshrines free market economics into EU law. It also stands against the EU’s directives instructing governments to privatise and cut public services, and the anti-trade union rulings of the European Court of Justice that are driving our wages, conditions and job prospects down in ‘a race to the bottom’.
No2EU-Yes to Democracy is a coalition for the European elections. But it represents another step towards rebuilding political representation for working class people, absent from Britain since the 1990s transformation of the Labour Party into the completely capitalist New Labour.
Come to the Broadleft meeting tonight (Sunday)
Speakers will include Robbie Segal EC member (in a personal capacity) and Mick Cotter Unite member to speak about the Visteon dispute, where 600 workers were informed 5 minutes before their shift end that they had no job and no redundancy pay or pension intitlements. A discussion will also be had on the No2EU- Yes to Democracy electoral challenge.
Showing posts with label robbie segal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robbie segal. Show all posts
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Retail and Distribution Activist no 16
Bulletin of Socialist Party members working in retail and distribution
February 2009
Robbie was also reelected onto the Executive Council with nearly 500 more votes than the next person and despite a dramatic increase in the number of members standing for election in the south.
February 2009
The campaign they tried to hide... and still 10,000 voted for Robbie
Robbie was also reelected onto the Executive Council with nearly 500 more votes than the next person and despite a dramatic increase in the number of members standing for election in the south.
With a turnout of 9% and a muted campaign to say the least, it is hardly surprising that the incumbent President got re-elected, the New Labourite Jeff Broome, with the entire union machinery backing him. It is disgraceful that the election was hardly mentioned to the majority of members, no debates were allowed and the only available official election material for Robbie being the ballot paper itself. 10,000 leaflets were distributed by Socialist Party members and others on the left in Usdaw getting an overwhelmingly supportive response.
Robbie stood for President following her 40% vote in the General Secretary election over the summer. She has been standing on a platform of opposing any job losses in the retail sector and was the only person on the EC to raise the demand for nationalisation of Woolworths. While she was issuing press releases and contacting workers about the need to demand the companies open their books and show us where the money has gone, the Usdaw leaders were falling over themselves taking part in debates and interviews defending the job losses and arguing that nothing can be done other than spout praise on Brown's government (see John Gorle's interview with Paxman or Hannett's statements in Arena and Network).
Robbie's demands have been focusing on the urgent need for Usdaw to give retail workers a strategy to fight the barrage of job losses and the attacks on terms and conditions the bosses are trying to heap on the plate of workers. Retail is one of the main industries that have recently been in the firing line, bearing the brunt of the economic crisis the bankers and speculators got us into.
Robbie pledged to launch a campaign to raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour from 16 to retirement, which got an enthusiastic response from members struggling to make ends meet on the pittance we get.
Robbie says: 'What shop workers need isn't conciliation with New Labour and the bosses but a strong democratic fighting leadership. I will continue the struggle and now with a stronger left network of activists behind me we are heading for our most successful ADM for a long time. The voice of the members won't fall on deaf ears for much longer'
Usdaw Activist Public Meeting,
4th April, Exmouth Arms (near Euston station) 11am-3pm.
No announcement of the result on the website
Again we wonder why there is no mention of the President and EC election results on Usdaw’s website. Even the press release concerning the President’s result was not placed on the website. So as a service to Usdaw’s members that our union does not provide, the Activist publishes the results of the President and EC elections.
President
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Jeff Broome | 19,962 (Elected) |
| Robina Segal | 10,559 |
Executive Council
South Wales and Western
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Dennis Stinchcombe | Elected Unopposed |
| Barbara Wilson | Elected Unopposed |
Eastern Division
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Allan Newanga | 1,148 |
| Sharon Newson | 942 |
| Sheila Thomas | 993 |
| Simon Vincent | 1,901 (Elected) |
| Barbara Woodford | 1,622 (Elected) |
Midlands Division
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Maureen Bowman | 1,267 |
| Kevin Davies | 1,287 (Elected) |
| Javid Iqbal | 442 |
| Barbara McAlister | 1,846 (Elected) |
| Di Mitchell | 659 |
| Graham Parkin | 1,150 |
| David Stokes | 906 |
North Eastern Division
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Peter Capper | 2,139 |
| Mike Dixon | 2,522 (Elected) |
| Pat Fitsgerald | 2,143 (Elected) |
Scottish Division
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Susan Coutts | Elected Unopposed |
| Harry McAlister | Elected Unopposed |
Southern Division
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Maria Aldred | 623 |
| John Barstow | 383 |
| Dennis Hart | 1,069 (Elected) |
| Alan Higgins | 391 |
| Margaret Hughes | 735 |
| Peter Millward | 1,001 |
| Amy Murphy | 834 |
| Richard Mustonen-Smith | 210 |
| Su Patel | 336 |
| Bernadette Phillips | 757 |
| Robina Segal | 1,502 (Elected) |
North Western Division
| Candidates | Votes Cast |
| Ann Hickson | 4,248 (Elected) |
| Jan Jervis | 2,880 (Elected) |
| Julie Keenan | 1,223 |
| Joan Lyall | 1,605 |
| Tony Threlfall | 3,832 (Elected) |
Fight every job cut
Over the last year and since the launch of the Activist in November 2007, we have consistently pointed out that the policy of developing a partnership with the bosses would prove disastrous in an economic crisis. Our argument was that the tactic of acquiescence to the demands of the big retailers would lull our members into a false sense of security and prevent a united fight back.
Now when the announcement of redundancies is a daily occurrence, the response of Usdaw leaders is to issue a press release. These press releases contain nothing that would encourage our members there is a way of saving their jobs. Members are ‘left reeling’ or are ‘devastated’ at the news they are joining the dole queues.
Our members know the threats to their living standard. What members are asking is how is our Union going to stop this job massacre. A press release is not a strategy. This is a continuation of the partnership strategy but in an economic downturn has proved catastrophic.
Over the past few months thousands of jobs have been lost in retail. It is time to start the fight back. Every time we do nothing another boss will look at this weakness and say I will sack some more employees.
A coordinated response, including lobbies, demonstrations and even factory sit-ins, is necessary to involve our members and send a warning to the bosses that we fight every job loss.
Join the Fight to save the Post Office
The New Labour government has announced plans to part privatise the Post Office. In a recent survey, nine out of every 10 people oppose its privatisation.
The CWU, the post office workers’ union, has launched a campaign against the government's intention to privatise Royal Mail. They are calling for people to sign their petition opposing privatisation at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Royal-Mail-Sale/
More retail crisis
The Icelandic run Baugur retail empire is in deep crisis-brands include: House of Fraser- (62 shops, 6,500 staff),Iceland (667 shops 20,000 staff), Jane Norman (192 shops, 1,600 staff), Wyevale garden centres (122 shops, 4,100 staff) & other investments include; Debenhams, Karen Millen, Principles, Oasis, Warehouse, mapping & Webb, Goldsmiths, French connection. Where is the fight back from our union?
The crisis, women, pay and waiting lists
Even Jim Rogers co-founder of Quantum fund with financial guru George Soros, said “It’s quite simple the UK has nothing to sell” The City of London is finished, the financial centre of the world is moving east” and the latest official employment figures show that the number of women in fulltime employment fell by 53,000 compared with a fall of 36,000 for men. Women are losing jobs at twice the rate of men because men significantly outnumber women in the workforce but meanwhile the average contribution of female earnings to the family budget is rising at a far faster rate than for men. And lone parents now make up a quarter of all families-and 90% of lone parents are women. More women than ever are supporting families on their wages and council tenants face rent rises of an average 6.2% in next financial year. There are 4.5 million people on the housing waiting list.
Will ‘Welfare to work’ get work for unemployed?
The governments answer to the predicted rise in the long term unemployment is to finance privately run 'Welfare to work' programmes but even private industry are skeptical. The cost of the governments programme to get the long term unemployed back to work looks set to double and possibly triple as the numbers out of work for more than 12 months rocket.
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise
our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.ukMonday, 16 February 2009
Retail and Distribution Activist no 15
Bulletin of Socialist Party members working in retail and distribution
January 2009
Vote Robbie (Robina) Segal For President
No return to the 1930s!
The Activist sent the following questions to Robbie Segal, candidate for Usdaw President and we print below her reply.
What do you think about the present economic crisis?
There does not seem a day that goes by without another announcement of redundancies affecting our members. Clearly the crisis is going to be deeper and longer lasting than the pundit’s are predicting. The present economic system is based on greed of the few and now this global elite, after exploiting the world’s resources and people, now want us to bail them out - so they can keep their privileged life style. Do they think we are mad?
How is the economic crisis affecting those still working?
Apart from the continued announcement of job losses, retail companies have virtually stopped hiring new staff. Not replacing those who leave means that workloads are increasing. Pressure is being applied to those who are lucky enough to have jobs to give up hard won conditions: Workers are being asked to work beyond their contractual hours without pay and overtime premiums are being stopped. Pressure is being applied to ignore health and safety issues.
The TUC has estimated that 5.24 million people work unpaid overtime in 2008, bringing the bosses a bonus of £26.9 billion. For those who are forced into this form of slavery, if they worked unpaid from the beginning of the year then they would not receive any pay until 27 February. This must stop.
Usdaw have many women worker in its ranks, how do you think the current crisis will affect them?
Many of the workers losing their jobs are women and for many families the woman’s wage makes a major contribution to the family income. For 21 per cent of all couples the woman’s contribution is over 50 per cent and for all families women contribute 32 per cent to household bills. Usdaw Women do not work for pin-money anymore and we should defend their jobs.
How do you think Usdaw should respond to the crisis?
Usdaw is handicapped by it years of slavish acceptance of a partnership strategy with the big retail companies. Usdaw’s leaders have no clear strategy to solve the crisis. There has not been one attempt to mobilise the membership to fight against these attacks. In previous crises, the union leaders organised demonstrations and national marches. This time even the verbal protests have been subdued because it would mean attacking the policies of Gordon Brown and New Labour.
The leaders have surrendered many of the best part of our terms and conditions to the bosses without even a protest. Usdaw is the fourth biggest union in the TUC and should be playing a major role in mobilizing workers to fight these attacks. However with the present Usdaw leaders this will never happen. I am standing for the Usdaw’s President so the voice of struggle can be raised amongst retail workers.
Why do you call for nationalisation of the economy?
For over 100 years, the labour movement called for the nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy. Although the Labour Party leaders never really took the nationalisation seriously, nevertheless it was one of the aspirations of activists. The socialists understood that capitalism never worked and would one day fail. The old clause 4 was passed in 1917 under the influence of the Russian revolution and it called for.
To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service
The Labour Party’s socialist clause was ditched in 1995 and a woolly alternative put in its place.
The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect."
The driving force behind the change was Tony Blair. Since leaving parliament, Blair’s yearly earnings are estimated to be in excess of £7 million. Obviously the part ‘to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential’ worked brilliantly for ex-Prime Minister Blair.
Usdaw’s leaders fully supported the abandonment of the socialist clause. As the supporters of the British establishment in the Labour Party understood, if the clause on nationalisation remained on the Labour Party membership card then it would act as a reminder to members when capitalism faced a crisis and that there was a socialist alternative.
As part of the Usdaw’s objectives, it states, ‘To work consistently towards securing the control of the industries in which its members are employed.’ But this is never mentioned as an alternative to the ownership by the few.
With New Labour' s and the Usdaw’s leaders abandonment of socialism, it means it is the responsibly of the Socialist to call for a new society which would be based on the public ownership of the means of production. Instead of the current crop of parasites who have bankrupted their capitalist system controlling the new public owned banks they should be controlled of the people. They would be run for the benefit of the majority rather than the few.
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise our union then send their e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
January 2009
Vote Robbie (Robina) Segal For President
No return to the 1930s!
The Activist sent the following questions to Robbie Segal, candidate for Usdaw President and we print below her reply.
What do you think about the present economic crisis?
There does not seem a day that goes by without another announcement of redundancies affecting our members. Clearly the crisis is going to be deeper and longer lasting than the pundit’s are predicting. The present economic system is based on greed of the few and now this global elite, after exploiting the world’s resources and people, now want us to bail them out - so they can keep their privileged life style. Do they think we are mad?
How is the economic crisis affecting those still working?
Apart from the continued announcement of job losses, retail companies have virtually stopped hiring new staff. Not replacing those who leave means that workloads are increasing. Pressure is being applied to those who are lucky enough to have jobs to give up hard won conditions: Workers are being asked to work beyond their contractual hours without pay and overtime premiums are being stopped. Pressure is being applied to ignore health and safety issues.
The TUC has estimated that 5.24 million people work unpaid overtime in 2008, bringing the bosses a bonus of £26.9 billion. For those who are forced into this form of slavery, if they worked unpaid from the beginning of the year then they would not receive any pay until 27 February. This must stop.
Usdaw have many women worker in its ranks, how do you think the current crisis will affect them?
Many of the workers losing their jobs are women and for many families the woman’s wage makes a major contribution to the family income. For 21 per cent of all couples the woman’s contribution is over 50 per cent and for all families women contribute 32 per cent to household bills. Usdaw Women do not work for pin-money anymore and we should defend their jobs.
How do you think Usdaw should respond to the crisis?
Usdaw is handicapped by it years of slavish acceptance of a partnership strategy with the big retail companies. Usdaw’s leaders have no clear strategy to solve the crisis. There has not been one attempt to mobilise the membership to fight against these attacks. In previous crises, the union leaders organised demonstrations and national marches. This time even the verbal protests have been subdued because it would mean attacking the policies of Gordon Brown and New Labour.
The leaders have surrendered many of the best part of our terms and conditions to the bosses without even a protest. Usdaw is the fourth biggest union in the TUC and should be playing a major role in mobilizing workers to fight these attacks. However with the present Usdaw leaders this will never happen. I am standing for the Usdaw’s President so the voice of struggle can be raised amongst retail workers.
Why do you call for nationalisation of the economy?
For over 100 years, the labour movement called for the nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy. Although the Labour Party leaders never really took the nationalisation seriously, nevertheless it was one of the aspirations of activists. The socialists understood that capitalism never worked and would one day fail. The old clause 4 was passed in 1917 under the influence of the Russian revolution and it called for.
To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service
The Labour Party’s socialist clause was ditched in 1995 and a woolly alternative put in its place.
The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect."
The driving force behind the change was Tony Blair. Since leaving parliament, Blair’s yearly earnings are estimated to be in excess of £7 million. Obviously the part ‘to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential’ worked brilliantly for ex-Prime Minister Blair.
Usdaw’s leaders fully supported the abandonment of the socialist clause. As the supporters of the British establishment in the Labour Party understood, if the clause on nationalisation remained on the Labour Party membership card then it would act as a reminder to members when capitalism faced a crisis and that there was a socialist alternative.
As part of the Usdaw’s objectives, it states, ‘To work consistently towards securing the control of the industries in which its members are employed.’ But this is never mentioned as an alternative to the ownership by the few.
With New Labour' s and the Usdaw’s leaders abandonment of socialism, it means it is the responsibly of the Socialist to call for a new society which would be based on the public ownership of the means of production. Instead of the current crop of parasites who have bankrupted their capitalist system controlling the new public owned banks they should be controlled of the people. They would be run for the benefit of the majority rather than the few.
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise our union then send their e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
Monday, 19 January 2009
Retail and Distribution Activist Issue 14
Bulletin of Socialist Party members working in retail and distribution
January 2009
Issue 14
Vote Robbie (Robina) Segal For President
Tens of thousands of retail workers are being laid off. These workers are facing a bleak future, many of whom have been working on low wages for the big retail companies for years. Woolworths is now closed, yet all those workers are getting is the statutory redundancy payments of less than a few hundred pounds.
Gordon Brown is promising schemes to create new jobs. But what will these jobs be like? Will they be on decent wages with good working conditions and pensions, or will this be another New Labour gimmick?
Woolworths and other retail workers deserve better than empty promises from Gordon Brown, after all our union Usdaw subsidises New Labour to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.
All companies threatening redundancies should be nationalised but under democratic workers’ control and management. We should open the books and find out where all the profits have gone – profits made by the workers.
I am standing for election to become president of Usdaw because our union needs to be a fighting union, we should be building a mass campaign against job losses but also demanding a minimum wage of £8 an hour without exceptions. The union should be taking workers' wages and conditions forward, not watching them go backwards.
And why are mainly female and part-time shop workers treated as if they are only earning pin money by the trade union leaders? It is time for all shop workers to get active to build Usdaw as a democratic and independent campaigning trade union.
I have been a trade unionist since the age of 19, a Tesco union rep for 21 years, and a member of the Usdaw executive Council for nine years.
The election runs from 19 January to 13 February.
Robbie Segal
Slaughter in the high street
As Robbie has explained the slaughter of retail workers continues. Always looking for some publicity and when all around are announcing redundancies Tesco is creating 10,000 in their UK business, Morrisons over 5,000, Sainsbury’s up to 4,000 and Iceland 2,500.
However, the Activist receives reports explaining the real life in the retail sector. What is needed is a union that can use the anger of our members to fight against the attacks by the bosses. We publish below two articles from out members explaining life in retail.
Christmas is over and the cutbacks begin
After dragging almost the entire workforce in over the Christmas period to do extra shifts to capitalise on the usual higher sales of that period, the Morrisons I work at (and the others in the area) have decided to repay the workforce by cutting back on hours. Of course, there are usually cutbacks on temporary staff that are taken on for Christmas, but this is much more.
In the name of saving money (or in reality keeping up their profits), staff have had their hours cut on a temporary basis with someone losing 24 hours of work per week! Others have been moved from working on Sundays (for which we get paid time and a half) to other days of the week. Although it is not a large proportion of the staff who are affected directly, it will affect everyone indirectly as we’ll all be expected to pick up the slack. It’s another story of workers who have mortgages and rents to pay, suffering for the effects of the capitalist economic crisis.
Shop workers need a fighting trade union to represent them and fight for better conditions, and that’s why I’d urge all USDAW members to vote for Robbie Segal in the upcoming elections.
A Morrisons Worker
No festive joy for shop workers
CHRISTMAS IS finally staggering to a close at the lingerie company I work for. After 23 December, I was able to take four days off for Christmas. To be allowed this luxury I worked almost continuously for the previous six weeks, between 8.5 and 10 hours a day, having taken only one day off.
We were informed that on the first two work days after Christmas (Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December), we would be required to work 12 hour shifts, to make up for lost time. For all staff, including Christmas temps, this is technically overtime, although the consequence of refusal would be a straight dismissal for temps.
For permanent staff the punishment for refusing to do overtime is consignment to making boxes for a couple of days, general harassment and threats of disciplinary action.
Of course, Christmas is the busiest time for retail workers and no unskilled worker will complain about the offer of overtime during the period when extra money is most needed.
What we have every right to complain about, however, is being bullied into doing overtime, being bullied and threatened into working harder than is reasonable (or even, in some cases, than is humanly possible); being forced to work in near freezing temperatures because the company is too cheap to heat the warehouse (despite grossing over £500,000 a week, for six weeks); for the temps having to accept the poverty wage of between £5.50 and £6.00 an hour, depending on their agency and being made to feel ashamed of the human weakness of illness. Sick days are not paid, nor are breaks.
What the workers at this workplace need is a trade union, and that is exactly what Socialist Party members who work there are building. We are aiming to achieve the 51% membership (out of 30 permanent staff) that is required to force the company to recognise Usdaw as our union. Having built a core of five activists we feel ready to begin a more general recruitment policy in order to get recognition before the end of the January sales.
The majority of the young workers are angry, and starting to realise what a life of unskilled work will mean. The older workers are starting to see that this company has no great intention to look after them.
Programme
We are recruiting union members with the following programme:
A retail worker
If you have any stories about what is happening in your workplace
then please send them to the Activist
at shopworker@socialistparty.ork.uk
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise
our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
January 2009
Issue 14
Vote Robbie (Robina) Segal For President
Tens of thousands of retail workers are being laid off. These workers are facing a bleak future, many of whom have been working on low wages for the big retail companies for years. Woolworths is now closed, yet all those workers are getting is the statutory redundancy payments of less than a few hundred pounds.
Gordon Brown is promising schemes to create new jobs. But what will these jobs be like? Will they be on decent wages with good working conditions and pensions, or will this be another New Labour gimmick?
Woolworths and other retail workers deserve better than empty promises from Gordon Brown, after all our union Usdaw subsidises New Labour to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.
All companies threatening redundancies should be nationalised but under democratic workers’ control and management. We should open the books and find out where all the profits have gone – profits made by the workers.
I am standing for election to become president of Usdaw because our union needs to be a fighting union, we should be building a mass campaign against job losses but also demanding a minimum wage of £8 an hour without exceptions. The union should be taking workers' wages and conditions forward, not watching them go backwards.
And why are mainly female and part-time shop workers treated as if they are only earning pin money by the trade union leaders? It is time for all shop workers to get active to build Usdaw as a democratic and independent campaigning trade union.
I have been a trade unionist since the age of 19, a Tesco union rep for 21 years, and a member of the Usdaw executive Council for nine years.
The election runs from 19 January to 13 February.
Robbie Segal
Slaughter in the high street
As Robbie has explained the slaughter of retail workers continues. Always looking for some publicity and when all around are announcing redundancies Tesco is creating 10,000 in their UK business, Morrisons over 5,000, Sainsbury’s up to 4,000 and Iceland 2,500.
However, the Activist receives reports explaining the real life in the retail sector. What is needed is a union that can use the anger of our members to fight against the attacks by the bosses. We publish below two articles from out members explaining life in retail.
Christmas is over and the cutbacks begin
After dragging almost the entire workforce in over the Christmas period to do extra shifts to capitalise on the usual higher sales of that period, the Morrisons I work at (and the others in the area) have decided to repay the workforce by cutting back on hours. Of course, there are usually cutbacks on temporary staff that are taken on for Christmas, but this is much more.
In the name of saving money (or in reality keeping up their profits), staff have had their hours cut on a temporary basis with someone losing 24 hours of work per week! Others have been moved from working on Sundays (for which we get paid time and a half) to other days of the week. Although it is not a large proportion of the staff who are affected directly, it will affect everyone indirectly as we’ll all be expected to pick up the slack. It’s another story of workers who have mortgages and rents to pay, suffering for the effects of the capitalist economic crisis.
Shop workers need a fighting trade union to represent them and fight for better conditions, and that’s why I’d urge all USDAW members to vote for Robbie Segal in the upcoming elections.
A Morrisons Worker
No festive joy for shop workers
CHRISTMAS IS finally staggering to a close at the lingerie company I work for. After 23 December, I was able to take four days off for Christmas. To be allowed this luxury I worked almost continuously for the previous six weeks, between 8.5 and 10 hours a day, having taken only one day off.
We were informed that on the first two work days after Christmas (Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December), we would be required to work 12 hour shifts, to make up for lost time. For all staff, including Christmas temps, this is technically overtime, although the consequence of refusal would be a straight dismissal for temps.
For permanent staff the punishment for refusing to do overtime is consignment to making boxes for a couple of days, general harassment and threats of disciplinary action.
Of course, Christmas is the busiest time for retail workers and no unskilled worker will complain about the offer of overtime during the period when extra money is most needed.
What we have every right to complain about, however, is being bullied into doing overtime, being bullied and threatened into working harder than is reasonable (or even, in some cases, than is humanly possible); being forced to work in near freezing temperatures because the company is too cheap to heat the warehouse (despite grossing over £500,000 a week, for six weeks); for the temps having to accept the poverty wage of between £5.50 and £6.00 an hour, depending on their agency and being made to feel ashamed of the human weakness of illness. Sick days are not paid, nor are breaks.
What the workers at this workplace need is a trade union, and that is exactly what Socialist Party members who work there are building. We are aiming to achieve the 51% membership (out of 30 permanent staff) that is required to force the company to recognise Usdaw as our union. Having built a core of five activists we feel ready to begin a more general recruitment policy in order to get recognition before the end of the January sales.
The majority of the young workers are angry, and starting to realise what a life of unskilled work will mean. The older workers are starting to see that this company has no great intention to look after them.
Programme
We are recruiting union members with the following programme:
- An end to bullying management. An end to mandatory overtime.
- An end to discrimination against temporary workers. For the same conditions and pay levels for temporary workers. For protection against dismissal for sickness or lateness. For full training of temps.
- For paid breaks. For extra breaks for those working overtime, an extra 15 minutes every two hours.
- For measures to be taken to protect workers from the cold during winter.
- For a guarantee of job security, and for permanent jobs to be made available to a proportion of temps. For a 35-hour week with no loss of pay, which could be accomplished by paying breaks.
A retail worker
If you have any stories about what is happening in your workplace
then please send them to the Activist
at shopworker@socialistparty.ork.uk
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise
our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Retail and Distribution Activist no 13
Bulletin of Socialist Party members working in retail and distribution
December 2008
Issue 13
New Year Greetings From Robbie (Robina) Segal (Usdaw President Candidate)
Dear Sisters and Brothers
Unfortunately, 2009 will be one of the hardest years faced by retail workers for decades. During my campaign for Usdaw’s general secretary, I said that what was at stake was the future direction of the union. My socialist message received 40% of the vote. If the election had taken place today, I am sure the bankruptcy of the present leadership’s policies - as shown by their response to the economic crisis - would have given me even more votes.
My warning that there needed to be a change of attitude because the union would not be ready to face the challenges of the impending economic crisis has proven correct. It is clear from recent reports that two of the major UK banks came within hours of collapse and New Labour came to their rescue and the tax payer paid the bill. Our members have contributed millions to save the banks and yet when our jobs are threatened there is no help for us.
What is needed is a militant programme of action which includes: demonstrations, lobbying the government, occupations of the stores and workplaces, and the nationalisation of the major retailers. The trade unions have been silent, Usdaw must demand at the TUC that a progamme of coordinated action be planned which must include one day stoppages.
John Hannett and the policies of Usdaw leaders’ have been tested with their response to the Woolworth closure. They have failed.
I ask you to help mobilise your members in the President and EC elections to ensure they vote for candidates who want change. Have a good new year but let us make 2009 the year that Usdaw starts the fight back.
Comradely
Robbie (Robina) Segal
The slaughter of retail jobs
We reported in the last issue of the Activist of the slaughter of retail jobs and unfortunately it has been proven correct. Woolworth is now gone and so as many other high street names and thousands of jobs will be lost in the coming months. Already in the days following Christmas the following have announced problems: Whittard, tea sellers; UCS, fashion; Zavvi, music; Olan Mills, the photo shop; and Adams, the children’s clothing retailer. How many more jobs will be lost before our leader start the fight back?
Understanding the recession
The Activist welcomes the decision of the Union to try and come to grips with a strategy to fight the recession. At the officials’ jamboree, in Alton Towers at the beginning of the New Year, there is a session on the recession. We have to ask will it establish the fighting programme that is clearly needed by our Union. The key is to understand the nature of the crisis. The Activist argues that it is a crisis of capitalism. And without a understanding of capitalism then there can be no real strategy to defeat the onslaught of the bosses.
Increase the minimum wage
The British Chamber of Commerce, the bosses’ organistion, has demanded that there should be no increase in the national minimum wage in 2009. They argue that any increase would undermine jobs and lead to unemployment. They stated:
"We're not opposed to the minimum wage going up when employment is high and the economy is doing well, but when jobs are being lost daily and a recession is in full swing, it makes no sense to increase it," said director general David Frost. "Most businesses are prioritising survival at the moment. A rise in the minimum wage would not help firms hold on to staff and would simply add to unemployment."
This is a declaration of war against the low-paid workers. The words should act as a warning for our negotiators; the bosses will want us to pay for their crisis. Our members are paid little more than pence above the minimum wage and, therefore, what is needed is a coordinated programme of action. Why not increase the minimum wage to give us workers the extra money we need to spend to make ends meet and at the same time put back into the economy?
The Activist pointed out months ago that the economic crisis, which had been caused by the wealthy and their capitalist system, that the bosses would demand the low-paid workers to pay. This is why the trade unions should be raising the need to change the political system. If capitalism is failing then we should be demanding a socialist system. Socialism would defend the rights of the majority rather than keeping a few fat cats in luxury. For a full analysis of the current economic and political crisis then check out www.socialistparty.org.uk
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise the our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
December 2008
Issue 13
New Year Greetings From Robbie (Robina) Segal (Usdaw President Candidate)
Dear Sisters and Brothers
Unfortunately, 2009 will be one of the hardest years faced by retail workers for decades. During my campaign for Usdaw’s general secretary, I said that what was at stake was the future direction of the union. My socialist message received 40% of the vote. If the election had taken place today, I am sure the bankruptcy of the present leadership’s policies - as shown by their response to the economic crisis - would have given me even more votes.
My warning that there needed to be a change of attitude because the union would not be ready to face the challenges of the impending economic crisis has proven correct. It is clear from recent reports that two of the major UK banks came within hours of collapse and New Labour came to their rescue and the tax payer paid the bill. Our members have contributed millions to save the banks and yet when our jobs are threatened there is no help for us.
What is needed is a militant programme of action which includes: demonstrations, lobbying the government, occupations of the stores and workplaces, and the nationalisation of the major retailers. The trade unions have been silent, Usdaw must demand at the TUC that a progamme of coordinated action be planned which must include one day stoppages.
John Hannett and the policies of Usdaw leaders’ have been tested with their response to the Woolworth closure. They have failed.
I ask you to help mobilise your members in the President and EC elections to ensure they vote for candidates who want change. Have a good new year but let us make 2009 the year that Usdaw starts the fight back.
Comradely
Robbie (Robina) Segal
The slaughter of retail jobs
We reported in the last issue of the Activist of the slaughter of retail jobs and unfortunately it has been proven correct. Woolworth is now gone and so as many other high street names and thousands of jobs will be lost in the coming months. Already in the days following Christmas the following have announced problems: Whittard, tea sellers; UCS, fashion; Zavvi, music; Olan Mills, the photo shop; and Adams, the children’s clothing retailer. How many more jobs will be lost before our leader start the fight back?
Understanding the recession
The Activist welcomes the decision of the Union to try and come to grips with a strategy to fight the recession. At the officials’ jamboree, in Alton Towers at the beginning of the New Year, there is a session on the recession. We have to ask will it establish the fighting programme that is clearly needed by our Union. The key is to understand the nature of the crisis. The Activist argues that it is a crisis of capitalism. And without a understanding of capitalism then there can be no real strategy to defeat the onslaught of the bosses.
Increase the minimum wage
The British Chamber of Commerce, the bosses’ organistion, has demanded that there should be no increase in the national minimum wage in 2009. They argue that any increase would undermine jobs and lead to unemployment. They stated:
"We're not opposed to the minimum wage going up when employment is high and the economy is doing well, but when jobs are being lost daily and a recession is in full swing, it makes no sense to increase it," said director general David Frost. "Most businesses are prioritising survival at the moment. A rise in the minimum wage would not help firms hold on to staff and would simply add to unemployment."
This is a declaration of war against the low-paid workers. The words should act as a warning for our negotiators; the bosses will want us to pay for their crisis. Our members are paid little more than pence above the minimum wage and, therefore, what is needed is a coordinated programme of action. Why not increase the minimum wage to give us workers the extra money we need to spend to make ends meet and at the same time put back into the economy?
The Activist pointed out months ago that the economic crisis, which had been caused by the wealthy and their capitalist system, that the bosses would demand the low-paid workers to pay. This is why the trade unions should be raising the need to change the political system. If capitalism is failing then we should be demanding a socialist system. Socialism would defend the rights of the majority rather than keeping a few fat cats in luxury. For a full analysis of the current economic and political crisis then check out www.socialistparty.org.uk
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise the our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
Christmas is Over and the Cutbacks Begin
by a Morrisons Worker
After dragging almost the entire workforce in over the Christmas period to do extra shifts to capitalise on the usual higher sales of that period, the Morrisons I work at (and the others in the area) have decided to repay the workforce by cutting back on hours. Of course, there are usually cutbacks on temporary staff that are taken on for Christmas, but this is much more.
In the name of saving money (or in reality keeping up their profits), staff have had their hours cut on a temporary basis with someone losing 24 hours of work per week! Others have been moved from working on Sundays (for which we get paid time and a half) to other days of the week. Although it is not a large proportion of the staff who are affected directly, it will affect everyone indirectly as we’ll all be expected to pick up the slack. Its another story of workers who have mortgages and rents to pay, suffering for the effects of the capitalist economic crisis.
Shop workers need a fighting trade union to represent them and fight for better conditions, and that’s why I’d urge all USDAW members to vote for Robbie Segal in the upcoming elections.
After dragging almost the entire workforce in over the Christmas period to do extra shifts to capitalise on the usual higher sales of that period, the Morrisons I work at (and the others in the area) have decided to repay the workforce by cutting back on hours. Of course, there are usually cutbacks on temporary staff that are taken on for Christmas, but this is much more.
In the name of saving money (or in reality keeping up their profits), staff have had their hours cut on a temporary basis with someone losing 24 hours of work per week! Others have been moved from working on Sundays (for which we get paid time and a half) to other days of the week. Although it is not a large proportion of the staff who are affected directly, it will affect everyone indirectly as we’ll all be expected to pick up the slack. Its another story of workers who have mortgages and rents to pay, suffering for the effects of the capitalist economic crisis.
Shop workers need a fighting trade union to represent them and fight for better conditions, and that’s why I’d urge all USDAW members to vote for Robbie Segal in the upcoming elections.
Friday, 5 December 2008
Retail and Distribution Activist no 12
Bulletin of Socialist Party members working in retail and distribution
November 2008 Issue 12
Robbie to stand for President
After the excellent vote for her as a candidate in Usdaw’s general secretary election, Robbie Segal has been lobbied to stand for the position of Usdaw’s President. Robbie told the Activist, ‘I feel honoured to accept the nomination to stand for President on behalf of those in the union who want to change Usdaw into a union that’s fights for it members. I will be a campaigning President. I will fight to protect members’ jobs, and terms and conditions. I will argue for a national campaign to mobilise our membership to win a decent wage. I will see it as my role to defend the democratic traditions of the union and put the members’ first.’
Crisis in the retail sector
Woolworths and MFI have called in the receivers and Dairy Farmers have declared mass redundancies. 100,000 retail jobs have vanished in the last year and at least another ten companies with 60,000 jobs are likely to go down the same road. A managing director of one company said, ‘the worse time for job losses will be the first six months of next year, which will be a bloodbath for many retailers.’
The question is posed does the leadership of the largest retail union, Usdaw, have a strategy that can defend members’ jobs. So what has been Usdaw’s approach to the pending crisis faced in the retail sector?
Usdaw’s Woolworth’s press release states, ‘seeking urgent talks with the administrators’ and ‘we will do everything we can to help communicate the situation to the staff’ and ‘we will be doing everything we can to help them through this difficult time.’ As far as the Dairy Farmers press release it demanded, ‘an urgent meeting with the company in order that we can understand the business case behind this decision and to receive guarantees on jobs in the remaining localities.’ These are mere platitudes rather than a strategy. Usdaw members are demanding that our union must start fighting back now.
Woolworth had sales of over £1.7 billion and has a major share in many products sold in the high street. Who decided the fate of Woolworths and the other hundreds of thousands jobs likely to be axed. The various companies that own Woolworth’s debt decided it was in their interest to pull the plug. It is their interests rather than those of the workforce – profits before jobs – that determines the outcome of thousands of jobs.
From press reports it seems that the government intervened but failed to get a deal to save Woolworth. It is strange when bankers jobs are on the line there are millions to save jobs but when low-paid retail workers are about to lose their jobs New Labour don’t have a penny to spare. They can nationalise struggling banks but there is no mention of public ownership to save retail jobs.
This approach by the government, Usdaw slavishly supports all things New Labour, is the real weakness of our union’s strategy. For so long they have follow a partnership with the bosses and the government, Usdaw is tied to the strategy of the government. – which is pro-business. The Activist argues that the only real way to solve the problems faced by retail workers is to take into public ownership the major retail companies.
Defend our jobs and terms and conditions
Everyone is talking about economic crisis now. The Socialist Party has been explaining for years that there was going to be a massive economic downturn. Now it has happened the bosses will attempt to make saving my cutting our wages and conditions.
One of the problems is that Usdaw’s leadership have rolled over and accepted changes to contracts rather than fight to preserve existing terms and conditions. Jon Hannett even commented in the latest issue of Arena that ‘the distribution network of many big players is being overhauled.’ What does this mean? What have the leaders done? When members have been willing to fight, there has been no real struggle and the officials arguing for acceptance of the changes. In the new distribution sites new starters are employed on worse conditions when compared to the older sites.
The situation is no better in the establish distribution sites. Again there has been an acceptance of worse contracts for new starters. Having members on different contracts will mean that the management will divide and split the workforce when joint action is needed.
The situation is as bad in Tesco’s stores, where workers are on different terms. Using the excuse of the economic crisis, it will make it easier to attack the conditions of those on the better contacts. These show a major weakness in Usdaw’s strategy.
Another problem we are facing is that companies have stopped replacing leavers and as the economic crunch continues the bosses will implement permanent freezes on new recruits. This will force members to work harder. It will create a stressful working environment which in turn will lead to more absence disciplinary hearings.
Nationalisation and the trade unions
The Activist and the Socialist Party has always argued for nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy and this includes the banks. When we have raised this issue, we were attacked by the establishment especially New Labour supporters. We were utopians and recently this idea was rejected as being outdated. We were told that the problems of economic growth were solved and never again would we return to the days of boom and bust. Most shop workers never experience any real boom. It was a boom where the rich became even richer while the gap between the wealthy and the poor increased.
Now the rich are the enthusiastic advocates of nationalisation. Their institutions faced bankruptcy and they demanded that Gordon Brown bails them out and he readily agreed. But when workers demanded their companies needed saving, Brown’s answers in the negative. We need a socialist government and a new workers’ party.
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise the our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
November 2008 Issue 12
Robbie to stand for President
After the excellent vote for her as a candidate in Usdaw’s general secretary election, Robbie Segal has been lobbied to stand for the position of Usdaw’s President. Robbie told the Activist, ‘I feel honoured to accept the nomination to stand for President on behalf of those in the union who want to change Usdaw into a union that’s fights for it members. I will be a campaigning President. I will fight to protect members’ jobs, and terms and conditions. I will argue for a national campaign to mobilise our membership to win a decent wage. I will see it as my role to defend the democratic traditions of the union and put the members’ first.’
Crisis in the retail sector
Woolworths and MFI have called in the receivers and Dairy Farmers have declared mass redundancies. 100,000 retail jobs have vanished in the last year and at least another ten companies with 60,000 jobs are likely to go down the same road. A managing director of one company said, ‘the worse time for job losses will be the first six months of next year, which will be a bloodbath for many retailers.’
The question is posed does the leadership of the largest retail union, Usdaw, have a strategy that can defend members’ jobs. So what has been Usdaw’s approach to the pending crisis faced in the retail sector?
Usdaw’s Woolworth’s press release states, ‘seeking urgent talks with the administrators’ and ‘we will do everything we can to help communicate the situation to the staff’ and ‘we will be doing everything we can to help them through this difficult time.’ As far as the Dairy Farmers press release it demanded, ‘an urgent meeting with the company in order that we can understand the business case behind this decision and to receive guarantees on jobs in the remaining localities.’ These are mere platitudes rather than a strategy. Usdaw members are demanding that our union must start fighting back now.
Woolworth had sales of over £1.7 billion and has a major share in many products sold in the high street. Who decided the fate of Woolworths and the other hundreds of thousands jobs likely to be axed. The various companies that own Woolworth’s debt decided it was in their interest to pull the plug. It is their interests rather than those of the workforce – profits before jobs – that determines the outcome of thousands of jobs.
From press reports it seems that the government intervened but failed to get a deal to save Woolworth. It is strange when bankers jobs are on the line there are millions to save jobs but when low-paid retail workers are about to lose their jobs New Labour don’t have a penny to spare. They can nationalise struggling banks but there is no mention of public ownership to save retail jobs.
This approach by the government, Usdaw slavishly supports all things New Labour, is the real weakness of our union’s strategy. For so long they have follow a partnership with the bosses and the government, Usdaw is tied to the strategy of the government. – which is pro-business. The Activist argues that the only real way to solve the problems faced by retail workers is to take into public ownership the major retail companies.
Defend our jobs and terms and conditions
Everyone is talking about economic crisis now. The Socialist Party has been explaining for years that there was going to be a massive economic downturn. Now it has happened the bosses will attempt to make saving my cutting our wages and conditions.
One of the problems is that Usdaw’s leadership have rolled over and accepted changes to contracts rather than fight to preserve existing terms and conditions. Jon Hannett even commented in the latest issue of Arena that ‘the distribution network of many big players is being overhauled.’ What does this mean? What have the leaders done? When members have been willing to fight, there has been no real struggle and the officials arguing for acceptance of the changes. In the new distribution sites new starters are employed on worse conditions when compared to the older sites.
The situation is no better in the establish distribution sites. Again there has been an acceptance of worse contracts for new starters. Having members on different contracts will mean that the management will divide and split the workforce when joint action is needed.
The situation is as bad in Tesco’s stores, where workers are on different terms. Using the excuse of the economic crisis, it will make it easier to attack the conditions of those on the better contacts. These show a major weakness in Usdaw’s strategy.
Another problem we are facing is that companies have stopped replacing leavers and as the economic crunch continues the bosses will implement permanent freezes on new recruits. This will force members to work harder. It will create a stressful working environment which in turn will lead to more absence disciplinary hearings.
Nationalisation and the trade unions
The Activist and the Socialist Party has always argued for nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy and this includes the banks. When we have raised this issue, we were attacked by the establishment especially New Labour supporters. We were utopians and recently this idea was rejected as being outdated. We were told that the problems of economic growth were solved and never again would we return to the days of boom and bust. Most shop workers never experience any real boom. It was a boom where the rich became even richer while the gap between the wealthy and the poor increased.
Now the rich are the enthusiastic advocates of nationalisation. Their institutions faced bankruptcy and they demanded that Gordon Brown bails them out and he readily agreed. But when workers demanded their companies needed saving, Brown’s answers in the negative. We need a socialist government and a new workers’ party.
Email addresses needed
If you have a colleague who would like to receive
a regular copy of the Activist or other materials to democratise the our union then send their
e-mail address to shopworker@socialistparty.org.uk
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