Dave Gill – Usdaw National Officer says: “This unprecedented move by a retailer and a direct consequence of the unjustified panic buying that has swept the country. Usdaw members throughout the retail food sector and supply chain are working very hard in difficult circumstances to meet demand, this move will be extremely unsettling for staff.
“Usdaw understands why the company has taken this decision and we will be supporting our members through the relocation process to help ensure they to travel to and from their new workplace, have the right working hours to maintain income levels and are able to meet their caring demands.
“We are urging the shopping public to stop panic buying and only shop for items when they needed. This behaviour is putting the retail sector under huge pressure and leaving many essential workers unable to buy the food they need to stay fit an healthy and deliver the services we are all relying on.”
Usdaw is urging customers to please help retail workers by:
- treating shopworkers with courtesy & respect
- washing your hands first
- only buying what you need
- maintaining physical distance
- paying with contactless if you can
- shopping alone if possible.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 400,000 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