Dave Gill - Usdaw National Officer says: “Unfortunately the pursuit of a CVA is all too common in modern retailing, as the high street crisis continues to blight town centres. It is a distressing time for staff, who are often not kept informed by the company and left on the sidelines waiting to hear their fate through media reports.
 
“Arcadia staff deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, with a seat at the table where the future of their jobs will be decided. That did not happen in BHS, where the 11,000 staff were treated appallingly by the employer and it was only when the administrator got involved that a line of communication was opened with the union, but by then it was too late.
 
“Usdaw is the trade union for Arcadia staff and we urge Philip Green to end his refusal to speak to us. The staff have a lot of experience and expertise to offer to help turn the business around before it is too late.
 
“The best retailers do engage with their employees through an independent trade union. Let’s not have another BHS style scandal that would further damage Philip Green’s reputation and question his integrity.”
 
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 420,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. 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