Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/559/6669
From The Socialist newspaper, 3 December 2008
Woolworths jobs threat
Socialist Party member Robbie Segal is standing for president of the shopworkers' union Usdaw. She spoke to The Socialist about the threats to jobs in the retail industry:
"Woolworths and MFI are in administration. Whilst the banks are bailed out, 30,000 workers at Woolworths face redundancy due to the collapse in retail brought on by the banking crisis.
Low-paid workers always pay for the failure of the employers. Yet vultures, the so called "turnaround investors" are already circling the living body of Woolworths looking to buy off profitable parts.
They are people like Sir Phillip Green, who bought a 28.5% share in Moss Bros two weeks ago, sold the share on Friday and made nearly a million. Not bad for two weeks' speculation.
Woolworths has 5,000 Usdaw members. If elected as president, I will launch a mass campaign to stop the job losses - demanding that the government takes Woolies and any other failing retail giant into public ownership. At the same time, we need a campaign for an £8 an hour minimum wage for all.
If the government can find the money to bail out the bankers, then they can find it to help shopworkers in difficult times."
For more information about Robbie's campaign see: www.robbiesegal.org
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In The Socialist 3 December 2008:
Job losses
Fight back now against job cuts
Fighting the threatened closure of Hoover factory
Environment and socialism
Socialist Party editorial
Socialist Party campaigns
Judiciary challenged over the right to protest
Building a left wing political alternative
Southampton uni students fight fees
Liverpool: mobilising against the far right
Comment
Social workers demand proper resources
Secondary education: PFI's gloss soon peels away
Socialist Party LGBT
Socialist Party Marxist analysis
Crisis-hit capitalism fears prospect of revolution
International socialist news and analysis
Venezuela elections: Chávez wins victory but opposition gains ground
Marxist analysis: history
The Isle of Man general strike 1918: Workers' power paralysed government
Socialist Party news and analysis
Help fund the alternative to big business politics
Socialist women: Looking at the past to take action today
Housing crisis
Socialist Party workplace news
Vote 'no' to BT's pension cuts
A Christmas message from the Unite leadership
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