theActivist
Issue 108
members in
Broad Left meeting celebrates strike votes
forcing Tesco to make concessions
Now reinstate Max McGee
Despite the run up to
Christmas being the busiest
time of year for retail
workers, Tesco workers,
Usdaw members and other
supporters joined an online
public meeting convened by
the Usdaw Broad Left in
order to mobilise support for
the proposed strike action of
Tesco distribution workers in
Unite and Usdaw as well for
the reinstatement of Usdaw
Tesco Hinckley branch
secretary and rep, Max
McGee who was sacked by
Tesco in the period the
ballots for strike action were
taking place.
The potential for co-
ordinated strike action
between the two unions
across 13 distribution
centres, a majority of Tesco
distribution centres would
have been historic. As one of
the negotiators who
attended the meeting
commented, Tesco threw
every dirty trick at members
to stop them voting for strike
action but to no avail. They
praised the resolve of
members in being prepared
to vote for strike action
which has won the
increased offers from Tesco.
The timing of the dispute,
alongside the ongoing
labour shortages, has
usdawactivist.wordpress.com ■ usdawactivist@gmail.com ■ Facebook: ‘Usdaw Activist’ ■ Twitter: @UsdawActivist
undoubtedly strengthened
the workers hands, showing
how hollow Tesco’s claims
to still be able to handle the
busy Christmas period are.
The offers are more than
the 2.5% and 4% Tesco had
previously offered, with
Unite members at four sites
forcing a revised offer of a
5.5% pay rise backdated to
July, with a further 0.5% in
February plus some
concessions on overtime
and holidays at some
specific depots, and Usdaw
subsequently reaching a
similar offer at nine sites.
Strike action has been
suspended whilst these
offers which the unions
recommended are balloted
on. Whilst if further strike
action were to take place it
would now not hit the crucial
Xmas window, given the
latest inflation figures put
CPI at 5.1% and RPI at 7.1%,
some workers may wonder if
strikes had taken place
could Tesco have been
forced to concede more.
Nevertheless, the threat of
strike action has forced
Tesco to concede more, a
lesson all retail workers
should take to heart.
Unite members at the time
of the meeting were still in
ENGLAND & WALES
dispute at the Livingstone
depot. Also remaining to be
resolved is the victimisation
of Usdaw Tesco Hinckley
distribution centre branch
secretary and rep Max
McGee. Outrageously Max
had been dismissed first for
‘making up an injury’ later
revised to ‘exaggerating an
injury’, during the period the
ballot was taking place, a
clear victimisation of a key
union activist in one of the
distribution centres
preparing for action. Max
gave thanks to all of those
who have offered their
support for his
reinstatement, including the
Broad Left and the National
Shop Stewards Network.
Max spoke of the mood of
anger amongst warehouse
workers who have seen
Tesco profit during the
pandemic whilst exerting
their workforce to work ever
harder had fuelled the
mood, alongside the impact
of inflation, to vote for strike
action, with 80% voting in Jointhe fightback
favour at Hinckley. Whilst
welcoming the concession
from Tesco, he warned of
the need for the union to
remain vigilant that the ● England & Wales
company doesn’t try to socialistparty.org.uk
snatch the increased pay ●
Continued on next page >
December 2021
IRELAND
Join the union and help us
organise for
•No lifting of any Covid safety
measures without agreement
from elected local health & safety
committees/reps
•Full pay for all workers self-
isolating or furloughed from day
one - no to forcing staff to use
holidays
• An immediate £12/hour
minimum wage as a step to £15
+ hazard pay
•Increase staffing levels in store
to carry out any necessary
cleaning & hygiene duties, bring
back in house outsourced
cleaners. Full time contracts to all
those who want them
•Scrap the 2 year qualifying
period - Full employment rights
from day one
• Scrap performance targets
•Time and a half for all overtime
worked over contracted hours
•Reinstate lost paid breaks and
premium payments, double pay
on Sundays and time and a half
on Saturdays. No extension of
Sunday trading
•Trade union control over
changing staff duties, hiring and
firing, and opening time changes
•35 hour working week without
loss of pay
•Open the books to trade union
inspection if companies say they
can’t afford these measures
• Bailout workers, not the bosses
and the speculators. Campaign
for nationalisation to save jobs.
•Democratically elected
committees of workers and
consumers to control prices and
any rationing policies at all levels.
•For socialist planning to put the
needs of workers first, not
shareholders profits.
Join Usdaw - usdaw.org.uk/join
JOINTHE
SOCIALISTS
Scotland
socialistpartyscotland.org.uk
● Ireland militant-left.org
theActivist the bulletin of CWI members in

Freedom from fear - Protection for shop

workers must not come at the expense of
the right to protest
The Covid pandemic of the amendment to the safety around is no suspicion of a crime
last two years has also Policing, Crime, understaffing. being committed!
seen an escalation of an Sentencing & Courts Bill
pandemic of another kind, which is reported to make Moreover, the Police, Just as Covid regulations
that of violence and assaulting a frontline Crime, Sentencing & (which government
threats against retail worker an aggravated Courts Bill itself contains ministers repeatedly broke
workers. Usdaw’s 2020 offence, this is a significant curbs on the to have parties with their
survey on the issue, concession to the democratic right to staff) have been used to
covering 2,700 workers, pressure exerted from the peaceful protest, including attack legitimate trade
shockingly found that 90% union’s campaigning on extending the ability of the union strikes and picket
had suffered verbal abuse, this issue, including police to curtail static lines, such as that of bus
60% had had threats of legislation on this issue in protests, gives the Home drivers at Sherburn-in-
violence and 10% had Scotland being passed Secretary the power to Elmet last year, so this
been assaulted. earlier this year, although define whether a protest legislation, will be used to
the union is still pushing ‘causes serious disruption undermine the struggles
The main thrust of the for the government to go to the activities of an of trade unions and
union’s campaign to further. organisation’. It also workers.
tackle this issue has been increases sentence for
to fight for a change in the But in itself, such a damaging a statue from 3 That the government has
law, for assaults on front measure is likely to be months to 10 years, which finally conceded the
line retail workers to be insufficient to tackle the is double the sentence for principal is welcome. But
treated as a specific problem, being action possessing indecent in fighting for real
offence, attracting a after the damage has images of a minor! protection for retail
harsher sentence than already been done to the workers from abuse and
common assault. In lives and health of our Other amendments that violence, we cannot let
principal this is correct, no members. Employers must have been put forward to this legitimate demand be
worker should face make the necessary the bill actually further used as a trojan horse for
attacks, verbal or physical, investments in safety for target peaceful protest, attacks on our democratic
simply for doing their job. retail workers, such as such as allowing police to rights, this Police bill as a
ending practices such as stop and search anyone at whole must still be
In the last few days, the lone working and other a protest, even when there opposed by the workers
government has tabled an movement.

Reinstate Max McGee

retail companies reporting channelled into forcing
that they had made plans to Tesco to reinstate Max.
visit picket lines if the strike Usdaw branches and trades
< From previous page camapigns to win gains for had gone ahead with other councils should invite Max to
Tesco workers in stores as members of their Usdaw speak about his case and
back through altering well, both through fighting forbranches. If the offer is pledge their support for his
performance software to a inflation proofed pay rise inrejected then this will be reinstatement, invites to
speed up work and force stores and for advancing the crucial to force more from speak can be sent to
workers into unsafe working unions campaign for store Tesco. reinstate.max.mcgee@gmail
practices. closures on boxing day to give .com. Donations to fund the
retail workers a guaranteed Unfortunately the morning campaign to reinstate Max
Both a current member of two day break over the busy after the meeting, we found
Usdaw’s NEC and the former can be made via https://
festive period. out that Max McGee had his w w w. g o f u n d m e . c o m / f /
Usdaw President Amy delayed second appeal
Murphy, expressed their A number of reps took time turned down. That same reinstate-max-usdaw-rep-
solidarity with Max and raised out to show their support for energy which was beginning socialist
the need for these gains to be the Tesco distribution to mobilise behind the Iain Dalton, Usdaw Broad
followed up with an workers, with several reps strikes must now be Left Chair
intensification of the from within Tesco and other

usdawactivist.wordpress.com ■ usdawactivist@gmail.com ■ Facebook: ‘Usdaw Activist’ ■ Twitter: @UsdawActivist