By Mike Kennard in Cambridgeshire
The GMB does not have the reputation of being a militant union fighting to the death for its members, nor do shop workers generally have a record of standing united against oppressive management, but staff at the Wisbech ASDA branch have blown those attitudes out of the water.
This weekend saw an inspiring example of strength in unity as 170 GMB members walked out in the first of 2-day strikes which the GMB is planning at various sites in the country. Credit to the union, it was well organised with flags, banners and (very noisy) orange vuvuzelas, with regional officers joining the picket line.
ASDA management are struggling with a mountain of debt, following a leveraged takeover by a pair of speculators who are hoping to offload the company and cut their losses (see here). They have been forcing unreasonable shift patterns on staff and enforcing other oppressive rules while refusing to meet the union to discuss working procedures. The GMB is planning a rolling series of strikes at sites throughout the country in an uncharacteristic show of militancy, beginning in a part of the country with one of the lowest records of industrial activity.
The strength and spirit of the union members in a sector previously known for passivity is inspirational, and at the same time a warning to the leadership of the Labour Party, virtually certain to form the next government. They have bought off the trade union leaderships with promises of reforms, but if (and when) they fail to deliver the labour movement will give them a very rough ride.
See also here.
