After sustained pressure from GMB, Matalan workers and local politicians the company is doing the right thing
After sustained pressure from GMB, Matalan workers and local politicians the company is doing the right thing
Matalan has announced all warehouse staff will be offered furlough leave in a ‘massive win for victory and common sense’.
GMB and its members had applied massive pressure after it emerged the company was ignoring Coronavirus guidelines and putting workers in danger.
Workers at the Matalan Distribution centre, in Knowsley, said they were being forced to continue working in cramped, overcrowded conditions as bosses fail to comply with Government advice on social distancing and stopping operations.
But the company has now done the right thing, putting the workforce on the Government’s furlough scheme – meaning they will continue to receive 80% of their wages.
Shaun Buckley, GMB Regional Organiser, said:
“This is a big win for the health and safety of our members - not to mention plain common sense.
“We were inundated with messages from worried GMB members in a state of panic that Matalan bosses were putting workers and their families’ lives at risk.
“But after sustained pressure from GMB, Matalan workers and local politicians the company has caved and is now doing the right thing.”
