Workers union GMB has hailed a decisive victory for workers‘ rights as Lidl‘s “repeated attempts at union-busting” were thwarted by the Court of Appeal.
The discount grocer attempted to overturn a ruling which allowed GMB to negotiate on behalf of Lidl staff at its site in Bridgend, South Wales.
Today the Court of Appeal rejected this attempt in what GMB are calling a “massive victory for worker‘s rights”.
“The company has shown a shocking lack of respect for their own staff’s wishes, and wasted shareholders’ money with this frivolous appeal,” GMB‘s Lorraine Gaskell said.
“This will pave the way for workers at Bridgend to negotiate their pay and conditions via their democratically selected union reps.
“Hopefully Lidl will now see sense and form a constructive relationship with us.”
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In response to the ruling, Lidl said: “Whilst we are disappointed with the outcome of the Court of Appeal, we respect the decision and the ballot process will receive our full support.
“As a responsible retailer, we are committed to ensuring that our employees receive a high level of internal support and industry-leading terms and conditions. This includes enhanced holiday packages, which increase with length of service.
“In 2015, Lidl also became the first British supermarket to adopt the Living Wage, as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation, and we were again the first supermarket to announce pay increases in line with the real Living Wage rate in 2016.
“We believe that our employees are fairly represented within the business, without having to engage with unions and creating a fragmented workforce.
“The proposed bargaining unit does not reflect the Lidl ethos of one company, one team.
“We respect and will support each employee’s vote in the upcoming ballot and await the final outcome.”
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