Nick Ireland – Usdaw Divisional Officer says: “I want to thank the Usdaw reps on site for their hard work and commitment throughout this process. Despite being under the threat of redundancy themselves, the support they gave to our members was second to none. The closure of Tesco Cardiff is a massive blow for our members and for the Cardiff economy.
“Usdaw reps on site fought hard to keep the call centre open, challenging the business case through the consultation period, but once it became clear we couldn’t achieve that, we had to focus on getting the best deal for members and helping them find alternative work. A successful jobs fair was organised, alongside courses on CV writing and interview skills.
“We are grateful to the organisations that got involved in helping to support staff through a very difficult and emotional process. We’re particularly grateful to local MPs, led by Anna McMorrin MP, who raised the closure in the House of Commons. Usdaw sends our best wishes to members, reps and their families for the future and we will continue to provide help and assistance in any way we can.”
Usdaw would like to thank the following organisations for their assistance: Welsh Assembly Government, Open University, Cardiff University, Money Advice Service, Royal Navy Recruitment, Pensionwise, Shelter Cymru, Cardiff and Vale College.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with 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.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion