Urgent! Demo Outsie Marks & Sparks Birmingham

Protest to defend 54 sacked 2 Sisters workers
11.00am outside the M&S Store in High Street, Birmingham,
Saturday 17th October

Support over 54 innocent men and women who have been sacked for the supposed crimes of challenging racism and defending their union reps who also face the sack.

54 workers at the 2 Sisters poultry processor's site A plant in Birmingham have been unfairly dismissed for defending their union reps against racist abuse.

This followed an incident in a factory employing overwhelmingly migrant workers when a shop steward was abused by a security guard who called him a “P*ki b*stard”. The shop steward was then disciplined but no action was taken against the security guard.

The decision to commence a campaign of demonstrations outside of M&S, a major client of 2 Sisters, follows the failure of M&S at the highest level to intervene.

The disciplined shop steward appealed and his appeal was turned down. The plant convenor went to his aid and was suspended. 54 workers then stopped work and five shop stewards acted immediately to get them to resume production. The five shop stewards were then suspended, together with the 54 workers. A disciplinary investigation is now underway into the convenor and the five shop stewards, a process described by Unite as “a farce of a trial with the verdict delivered in advance”.

2 Sisters is one of the companies under investigation by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission which is conducting its first Inquiry into division in the world of work and damage to social cohesion caused by the exploitation of newly arrived migrant workers and undercutting of indigenous workers in the 50,000 strong Meat Industry.

 2 Sisters supplies to most of the major supermarkets in Britain. The decision to commence a campaign of demonstrations outside of M&S follows the failure of M&S at the highest level to intervene. M&S proposed to Unite and 2 Sisters a year ago a tripartite initiative to promote a vision of 'Ethical Model Factories' with fair and equal treatment of all workers at their heart. Despite the poor reputation of 2 Sisters in the meat industry, Unite agreed. M&S has now washed its hands of responsibility.

Jack Dromey Unite DGS said: “In good faith, we sought to build a better relationship with 2 Sisters, working with M&S. But 2 Sisters has repeatedly broken promises to improve. Now we have 54 workers sacked, triggered off by racist abuse. If the term “P*ki” is unacceptable on the dance floor, then there can never be BNP language on the shop floor. I am disappointed that M&S has gone backwards but it cannot escape its responsibilities now to move things forward.”

A growing coalition of business and community leaders will demonstrate together with the sacked 2 Sisters workers this Saturday outside of the main M&S Store in High Street, Birmingham. Unite will then be stepping up its campaign next week, further details to follow.