‘Tin pot dictators’

Bosses at 2 Sisters Food Group in the West Midlands have been behaving like ‘tin pot dictators’ when it comes to workers’ rights, Unite said today (March 3).

The union said that in the last two months new management has unpicked many years of established and stable industrial relations at the five Unite-recognised plants across the region.

The heavy handiness of the new bosses has prompted a demonstration by workers on Monday (March 6) at the Tesco store at 46 New Square, West Bromwich B70 7PR between 11am-12.00pm. The supermarket giant is a customer of 2 Sisters.

“The view from the workers is that the company wants to maintain a quasi-slave culture on minimum terms to generate maximum profits,” said Unite acting national officer Sulinder Singh.

“Unite is now engaging with customers and stakeholders to stop the march of these tin pot managerial dictators – hence the demonstration on Monday to highlight the alleged abuses.

“When Unite reps have successfully challenged the employer on breaching terms and conditions, agreements and the law, the management has responded by dismissing one rep, allegedly assaulting another rep and suspending four others in a period of eight weeks,” Singh added.

“Unite has also protested at the use of covert CCTV and audio recording equipment which was hidden in plug sockets to spy on workers at the plants and, thereby, violating workers’ dignity and respect.

“Unite members and reps are routinely being threatened for whistleblowing or raising food safety issues, as, we believe, there is a dangerous focus on the products leaving for dispatch at any cost.

“This sort of cavalier management is not the sort of professional relationship Unite expects from the biggest food company in the UK.

“We hope that the employer is prepared to engage at the highest levels with its loyal and hardworking workforce to find pragmatic solutions to the important issues we have raised.”