Union claims victory for warehouse employees

A LEADING union has claimed a “massive victory” for workers’ rights after a legal ruling over its bid to represent Welsh warehouse staff at supermarket giant Lidl.

The GMB yesterday hailed a decision by the Court of Appeal to reject an attempt by the company to overturn a previous ruling allowing it to negotiate on behalf of workers at a site in Bridgend.

The court confirmed the right of the GMB to ballot the workers for union recognition. Lorraine Gaskell, regional organiser of the GMB, said: “Despite Lidl’s repeated attempts at union-busting, the courts have today upheld a massive victory for workers’ rights.

“The company has shown a shocking lack of respect for their own staff’s wishes, and wasted shareholders’ money with this frivolous appeal. This will pave the way for workers at Bridgend to negotiate their pay and conditions via their democratically selected union reps. Hopefully Lidl will now see sense.”

A Lidl spokesman said: “While we are disappointed, we respect the decision and the ballot process will receive our full support.

“As a responsible retailer, we are committed to ensuring that our employees receive a high level of internal support and industry-leading terms and conditions.

“This includes enhanced holiday packages, which increase with length of service. In 2015, Lidl also became the first British supermarket to adopt the Living Wage, as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation, and we were again the first supermarket to announce pay increases in line with the real Living Wage rate in 2016.

“We believe our employees are fairly represented within the business, without having to engage with unions and creating a fragmented workforce.”