Supersize our pay – Fight for a living wage and trade union rights

By a Glasgow fast food worker and Usdaw rep

Retail workers are on low wages and insecure part- time contracts, with bosses prioritising the ‘needs of the business’ over our welfare. Stores are judged on profits that they make. What this means for workers is that every last drop of productivity is squeezed out of us in every hour that we work.

Every task is timed. This means maximum efficiency for the employer but puts staff under unbelievable pressure as they don’t have a minute to spare and if anything crops up unexpected such as a spillage. The majority of retail workers earn less than £7 per hour and are forced to rely on tax credits and housing benefit to make up our wages to an amount that we can live off.

But these benefits are not straight forward to claim. In this sector full time contracts are a rarity, with zero hours or part time contracts the standard.If you are contracted for 16 hours then that is all the employer is required to provide, but you could be asked to work your shift and one for a colleague who is sick.

With these changeable hours it is difficult to be assessed accurately for benefits. One week you get full time hours, the next you are left with not enough to buy food. And even finding out which days you will be working can be a real hassle.

It’s not being uncommon for managers to do rota’s less than a week in advance. The rota it is often changed with last minute adjustments without asking staff. Quite how anyone is expected to plan their lives on such short notice, some with childcare obligations, really is beyond me.

A common complaint by retail workers is that shops are too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Most retail companies will have policies for low temperature working including extra breaks for hot drinks and common sense solutions like providing jumpers and gloves for staff, but the reality is that management are reluctant to provide these as extra breaks put time pressure on them as they are left short on the floor. Jumpers and gloves cost money.

There is no maximum temperature for working so managers are even less likely to fix air conditioning, instead choosing to let staff bake in stifling heat.One extreme example I have dealt with the shop was reaching 40+ degrees and staff were expected to work, being told by an area manager to go to the staff room and eat an ice lolly! We need to organise within retail, in order to challenge the culture that exists towards staff.

We make millions of pounds per year for our employers and they treat us as no more than a business expense that needs to be minimised. We need to put an end to the chronic underemployment and an end to zero hour contracts.

We need secure contracts. Most Trades Unions have a policy of fighting for a living wage that is currently £7.45 per hour but in order to win that they have to provide a fighting lead. The Fast Food Rights campaign is calling on a £10 per hour wage. The Youth Fight for Jobs campaign is supporting this and we took part in activity with the Bakers union in stalls and activities outside fast food outlets in Scotland. It’s about time low paid and super-exploited workers won a decent living wage and proper rights at work.

Given that we see how much cash runs through our tills we know that our employers can afford it.

www.youthfightforjobs.com