Mike Aylward – Usdaw Divisional Officer says: “Debbie Abrahams has rightly raised important issues around the effects of the introduction of new technology with the Prime Minister and we hope the Business Secretary will take the matter seriously. Our members at Shop Direct are at the forefront of this issue, as they face seeing their Greater Manchester workplace to the East Midlands with a net loss of around 1,500 jobs.
“Usdaw reps and officials are preparing for the start of a statutory period of meaningful consultation with the company, where we will interrogate the business case and seek alternatives to their devastating proposals. We welcome the assistance of local MPs and councillors, along with the Greater Manchester Mayor. We believe there is a role for the Government to intervene and support the staff facing redundancy.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the 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.
Debbie Abrahams at PMQs – Wednesday 18 April 2018:
https://twitter.com/Debbie_abrahams/status/986578859104620544
Shop Direct joint media statement:
https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2018/Apr/Shop-Direct-joint-media-statement
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion