Clare Wilkins, Nottingham Socialist Party
Around the country from 29-31 October, Unite regions and branches leafleted shoppers at supermarkets to boycott Weetabix, Alpen and Ready Brek products and get involved in the campaign to put pressure on supermarkets to contact Weetabix bosses to withdraw the company’s fire-and-rehire attempt.
Despite huge profits, Weetabix is proposing to cut engineers’ pay by £5,000 a year and worsen conditions.
On 29 October in Nottingham, leafleting took place outside Asda in Arnold. We had a good response from shoppers and passers-by. While we all gathered there to begin with, other teams went on to Tesco at Top Valley and then Morrisons at Bulwell.
Unite East Midlands also did leafleting at three supermarkets in Leicester and three in Northampton.
This is an ongoing campaign of solidarity with Weetabix engineers on strike in Corby.
The Unite officials, reps and members are buoyed by the election of Sharon Graham as Unite general secretary, and have a new confidence in campaigning. They agreed that it is long overdue that the Trades Union Congress steps out of the shadows to provide a lead campaigning against fire and rehire and all the other attacks on workers.