News

Putting fnishing touches to Metro's Cash and Carry in Hyderabad (2006)

Metro Cash and Carry in India are being urged to respect union rights - and stop local managers pressurising employees to leave their union (UNICOME). Problems have arisen recently at Metro in Hyderabad and follow similar problems last year in Bangalore. UNICOME was launched by UNI to give workers in India’s growing retail sector greater protection as western multinationals move in.

“We are keen to establish good relations with Metro to see it prosper in India for the good of the company and employees,” said UNI Deputy General Secretary Philip Bowyer in a letter to Metro’s India CEO. “We would therefore welcome an assurance from you that will allow employees to make their choice with no interference at all from management.”

“The right of employees to freely join a union of their own choosing is a right recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and further elaborated in conventions of the ILO and UN Global Compact. Management interference in trying to stop workers exercising that right is a serious violation of human rights.”



Prompted by the forced exit of two senior personnel more than 100 Metro Cash and Carry workers at the new Hyderabad store have already joined UNICOME.

More than 20 workers went to UNI’s development and organisation office (UNIdoc) in Hyderabad to discuss events at the store.



The company has been preparing documents for staff to sign saying they were forced to join the union.