Unite held a Valentine’s Day themed demonstration in Cardiff to highlight the shocking pay rise offered by the Marks and Spencer employed logistics firm, described as ‘heartbreaking’ by the union.
Security attempted to move the protesters, threatening them with calling the police and handing them a trespassing notice.
By Adwitiya Pal
Dressed in Valentine’s Day regalia outside the Marks and Spencer store in Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff, yesterday were members from Unite the union.
But there was certainly no love for one of the UK’s biggest and most profitable retailers from the union representing staff working on minimum wage.
Arrow XL, a part of Logistics Group Holdings, employs hundreds of workers as part of its delivery operation, many of them receiving just £9.50 an hour. Marks and Spencer is a customer of Arrow XL, and Unite is calling on the brand to “do the right thing” and reign in the “rogue supplier.”
Speaking ahead of the protest, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Valentine’s Day is about love and romance. But this Valentine’s Day Arrow XL stands out as a real heartbreaker. The bottom line is that M&S is using delivery companies under Logistics Holdings’ umbrella, which condemns workers to live on poverty pay.”
“It’s time M&S did more than talk about its company ethics and did something about its rogue supplier Logistic Holdings.”
Matthew Hill, an organiser for Unite’s Cardiff branch, told voice.wales, “We’re asking them to engage with us to basically get a resolution for the workers who are looking for a pay rise to help them with the cost of living crisis.”
However, as Matthew and the small number of Unite members stood with their banner, wishing those entering or coming out of the store a happy Valentine’s day, the store’s security got visibly agitated.
Coming close to the protesters, he repeatedly asked them to move away. The security guard then threatened to call the police and handed Matthew a “trespassing notice”, saying that they were barred from entering any Marks and Spencer store in the UK or even being outside the premises; the latter part hastily added in with a pen.
“What we are doing today is perfectly legal,” said Unite organiser Matthew. “We are simply exercising our rights and just looking to achieve some dialogue. They haven’t been forthcoming with that and they’ve asked us to leave. It doesn’t really bother us. It’s part and parcel of what we do. We’re here to represent workers and to fight for our members and that’s what we’ll do.”
The current dispute stems out of Arrow XL management’s offer of a 5% pay increase for its workers, which Unite says is a ‘huge pay cut’ when the current real inflation rate stands at 14%. Around 350 members of Unite, employed by Arrow XL, are currently re-balloting for industrial action, having already taken extensive strike action previously. The dispute escalated when the firm decided to sack two of the members who were on strike.
Unite said that it’s not as if Arrow XL cannot afford to pay its workers. The workers’ low pay is in sharp contrast to the highest-paid director at the highly profitable company, who was paid more than £500,000 in 2021, representing an 84% rise on the previous year.
Besides Marks and Spencer, Logistics Holdings are also suppliers to Holland and Barrett, Jo Malone and Zara. They are owned by the billionaire Barclay family, one of the richest families in the world and seen as notorious ‘union-busters’ — they are also tax exiles, citing addresses in Monte Carlo, Monaco and a mock gothic castle in a privately owned island in the Channel but operating their business from the UK.
“There’s plenty of wealth at the top, but none of that reaches the workers, which is why as a country we see ourselves in the position that we’re in at the moment with wages at an all-time low,” said Matthew.
“So many people across so many different sectors are striking, all for the same reason, because they haven’t had proper pay raises for the last 10 years. Unless people start fighting back, using organisation, using their trade unions, they’re going to struggle to get pay raises.”
A number of other Marks and Spencer stores across the country also saw similar demonstrations today, notably in London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle.
At a moment when almost a million public sector workers are involved in disputes with their employers, private sector employees have also been fighting for better wages and working conditions.
On Monday, over 1800 bus drivers from Unite employed by Abellio in London ended a long-running dispute by accepting an improved offer of an 18% increase in pay.
GMB members working at Asda could also soon be set to ballot for strikes following the retailer’s proposal to move away from higher-paid nighttime work. Meanwhile, GMB workers at Amazon are currently on strike as well, asking for improved hourly pay.
Matthew Hill, addressing all the private-sector workers, said, “Organise yourselves. We’ve seen that the only way to beat the cost of living crisis and to earn over-inflation pay raises has been to be in unionised workplaces.”
Marks and Spencers, Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff were contacted for a comment.
