Sacked Tesco drivers marched through Doncaster, 18.5.13 , photo John Gill (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Sacked Tesco drivers on the march again
Around 100 of the Tesco drivers sacked earlier this year and their families marched through Doncaster on Saturday with their red Unite flags waving.
They handed out leaflets, asking shoppers to boycott the store and demanding that Tesco gives them their jobs back.
They then handed out their “Every Sacking Helps…” leaflets at the doors and car park entrances of the Tesco store in Doncaster.
Sacked Tesco drivers, 18.5.13 , photo by John Gill (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Senior steward Trev Cheetham said: “Tesco management betrayed the loyal workforce, some with 20 years loyal service, by throwing them to Eddie Stobarts”.
This meant the drivers lost their pension scheme and other benefits and after one month at Stobarts they were told that they were to be replaced by other drivers on less pay and worse conditions.
All this while Tesco made £3.8 billion in profit and paid their highest paid director over £1.6 million.
Trev added: “Many have still not found new jobs after being thrown on the dole and are now living on £70 a week … We will continue the protests!”
Sacked Tesco drivers in Doncaster, 18.5.13 , photo by John Gill (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Steve Scholey, a driver and shop steward with 12 years’ service commented: “Tesco said one of the reasons they had carried out this action was because they were worried about CO2 emissions, but workers were being bussed in from other depots and supplied by agencies to meet the workload, so it was really about getting cheap labour”.
John Gill, Doncaster Socialist Party
This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 20 May 2013 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.
