Usdaw to meet Midlands Co-operative Society after closure announcement

Date: 21 January 2013

Shopworkers’ Union Usdaw is seeking urgent talks with management at Midlands Co-operative Society after it announced the planned closure of its Fashion & Home business putting more than 400 jobs at risk.

Workers at sites in Chesterfield, Coalville, Derby, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Stafford, Birmingham, West Bridgford, Wigston and Lichfield are earmarked for a closure programme beginning in April.

Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett said: "This is devastating news for our members and its impact will be felt throughout the localities. Our officials are seeking urgent meetings with the Co-op to discuss these proposals and analyse the business reasons behind them.

"We will be doing all we can to consider alternatives to compulsory redundancies and will look at how many of the workers can be redeployed to other sites within the Co-op.

"While we understand the difficulties being faced by the retail sector, it's important that employers do all they can to retain loyal, long-serving and skilled staff."

Notes to Editors:

1. Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fourth biggest and fastest growing trade union with over 424,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.