Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage

By Peter Carrol

Tesco have again come under fire from Living Wage protestors, as a flash mob stormed their Earls Court store yesterday evening demanding Britain’s largest retailer increase cleaners’ wages.

Around 150 protestors, dubbing themselves a ‘flashmop’, sang songs and danced with mops during the protest; watch it:

The protest follows a similar event earlier this month, as their superstore in Bromley-by-Bow was targeted amidst claims that cleaners were being underpaid.

The protestors are drawing attention to the fact the supermarket chain, which reported annual profits of £3.8 billion earlier this year, is failing to ensure subcontractors who supply their cleaners are paying their staff a “living wage” of £8.30 an hour.

Despite the store announcing last week they would increase pay for all staff by 2.7% to at least £7, it has been criticised by campaigners for disregarding cleaners from this threshold. However, a spokeswoman from the store defended their pay policy, stating:

“We can only speak for what we pay our people, not what others pay theirs.”

This assertion runs against the recommendations of the Living Wage Campaign, which places responsibility on the employer to ensure that workers are paid fairly. Tesco set all contract prices when they are outsourcing work. If the price is too low for the contractor to pay the Living Wage, then it is the employers’ responsibility to ensure the price of the contract is increased to accomodate adequate renumeration.

Since its inception in 2000, the Living Wage Foundation campaign has accredited more than 100 Living Wage employers, each of them committing to making sure their workers are paid in line with the minimum requirement. Leading organisations like KPMG and Barclays, the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Greater London Authority have all signed up, with Tesco one of the few major employers remaining who are publicly resisting fair pay for their staff.

http://twitter.com/moahmed93/status/83217809664000000 Mohammed Ahmed

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/evilc154/status/83218058121973760 Clive Burgess

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/natalieben/status/83219957407694849 natalieben

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/woolfiesmith/status/83224501411774464 Citizen K

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/woolfiesmith/status/83224600284114944 Citizen K

@leftfootfwd: Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://t.co/6RzdY4Q
http://twitter.com/protestwatch/status/83224698791526400 Protestwatch.org.uk

#Protest Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: The protest follows a simil… http://bit.ly/kggUuE
http://twitter.com/heatherkkennedy/status/83226488874336257 Heather Kennedy

#Protest Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: The protest follows a simil… http://bit.ly/kggUuE
http://twitter.com/suzannevee/status/83236031322796033 Suzanne Vaughan

RT @leftfootfwd: Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage http://t.co/v7EtF26 #equality now (pls!)
http://twitter.com/bartletsjacket/status/83236581149900801 Rob Jones

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/marcusmason/status/83245929272053760 Marcus Mason

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/climbfaster/status/83246410547462144 caroline oakshett

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/realsociology/status/83254068037959680 karl thompson

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
mr. Sensible

It is important that all staff, whether employed by Tesco or a contractor are given fare rewards for their work, anwd and if that’s not happening Tesco should take a stand on the matter.
http://twitter.com/myinfamy/status/83301649262723072 Daniel Pitt

Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage: http://bit.ly/l2exgo reports Peter Carrol
http://twitter.com/ippr_tessl/status/83460756670132224 Tess Lanning

IPPR joins flashmop activists for rendition of little known Beatles song calling for Tesco to pay cleaners a living wage http://t.co/wOf5lFs
http://twitter.com/welshwizzdum/status/83479144603721728 Colin Thomas

RT @leftfootfwd: Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage http://t.co/VGAxX3x
http://twitter.com/oilywaters/status/120881088640991234 H. O.

RT @leftfootfwd: Tesco (profits: £3.8bn) under fire for failing to pay cleaners living wage http://t.co/ZJaTi6Ti
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