Peter Lazenby
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PROTESTERS accused supermarket chain Morrisons of flying scabs from Britain to strikebreak at a store in Gibraltar today.
Members of union Unite rallied outside the Yorkshire-based chain’s headquarters in Bradford yesterday, accusing the company of “sitting on millions” while denying its retail staff a fair wage.
Strike action began at the Gibraltar store on January 30.
Unite said Morrisons pays its workers on the island £8.47 an hour — £2 an hour less than workers in Britain — and have been proposing a pay increase of just 2.4 per cent.
Morrisons, which is one of Britain’s “big five” supermarket chains, recently declared profits of £828 million.
The union accused Morrisons of “shabby mistreatment and anti-trade union tactics directed against Unite members in Gibraltar.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “If Morrisons think it can sneak strike-breaking tactics into Gibraltar, then it should think again.
“These workers are doing the same job as they would be in the UK, with the same bills to pay.
“Morrisons should be paying the rate for the job, it’s as simple as that.
“Our protest is just a warning shot. The union is ready to up the ante and do whatever it takes to win a fair deal for our Gibraltar Morrisons members.”
Ms Graham has written to Morrisons chief executive David Potts calling on him to “fund a fair pay increase for workers based in Gibraltar taking strike action to defend their living standards.”
Morrisons was invited to comment.
