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UNI affiliate Unite has launched a nationwide campaign calling for justice for workers employed by companies operating in Tesco's UK meat supply chain.

Unite's message to Tesco is that: "Every Worker Counts". Demonstrations outside Tesco stores on 27 November marked the beginning of an ongoing campaign, alerting Tesco customers to the union's concerns about the treatment of workers employed by companies in the UK supply chain that produces meat for Tesco stores.

The union has presented Tesco with evidence that workers in its UK supply chain are experiencing harsh and divisive conditions that in some cases are abusive. Unite believes that structural discrimination exists in many parts of the supply chain that provides meat to Tesco.

Unite joint general secretary, Tony Woodley said, "This supermarket juggernaut takes £1 of every £8 spent on the UK High Street. But many workers in its UK meat supply chain experience harsh and divisive conditions.We believe that Tesco’s procurement practices are creating divisions between migrant and indigenous workers across the Britain and Ireland. Tesco dictate the price of the contracts with its suppliers, they made profits of £2.1bn in 2007 so they cannot wash their hands of responsibility.

It's time for Tesco to value its meat supply chain and make sure every worker counts. Unite is calling on Tesco to sign a minimum standards agreement and to establish Tesco Ethical Model Factories. This will cost next to nothing but will make a world of difference to workers in Tesco's meat supply chain as well as establishing Tesco as an ethical leader. The power is in the hands of Tesco to make a real difference ."

As an indication of the seriousness of Unite's claims, the powerful Equality and Human Rights Commission has announced that it is to examine the UK's multi-billion pound meat industry in England and Wales for evidence of employment abuse and discrimination.

The Tesco launch is part of an ongoing campaign by Unite to improve the treatment of workers, including agency workers, in the UK supermarket supply chain. Unite is concerned that agency workers are often on poorer conditions of employment than core workers and the undercutting of directly-employed workers has caused division in the workplace and damaged social cohesion.

A permanent two tier workforce has opened up in the meat supply industry in the UK, where mainly migrant agency labour are on worse terms and conditions than directly employed staff often for doing the same job, causing division in workplaces and communities;

Dramatic casualisation of work so that hundreds of workers employed in the supply chain of meat to Tesco do not know day to day, or week to week, what work they have and risk being punished for not using agency housing or transport by the withdrawal of regular work.

For more information please check: http://www.unitetheunion.org.uk/index.php