This coming Saturday November 13th the historic, Quaker-capitalist company town of Street, in deepest Somerset, hosts the long-awaited march and rally for the Clarks all-out strikers. Hong-Kong-based Lion Rock Capital, who own Clarks since the family sold out to them, are firing and rehiring all its warehouse workers, by imposing a wage cut from £11.16p and hour to the (soon to become) minimum wage of £9.50p an hour, with other drastic cuts to nearly all paid allowances. Oh yes, workers have also lost their paid meals breaks so will be forced to work a 42.5 hour week instead of the current 40! Speakers include Roy Rickhuss, Community General Secretary, Paul Nowack, TUC Deputy General Secretary, and Labour MP Barry Gardiner.
Secretary of Mendip Trades Council, Dave Chapple, says “Support for the march is growing by the hour. Clarks Reps from the Community Union are willing to speak to on-line trade union meetings: please get in touch and I will pass on any requests. Delegations from South Wales steel workers and Manchester factory workers, all Community union members, are traveling over and down to support their fellow trades unionists. There are hopes that a substantial number of retired Clarks workers-thousands of whom actually made shoes decades ago before all the Somerset factories were closed by the Clarks family-will march alongside the strikers. Even the Quaker Journal “The Friend” is following the Observer’s lead, and is set to carry an article about the dispute. This will be the largest and most impressive show of trade union and working-class solidarity in the county of Somerset for decades: you would have to go back to the march against the closure of Westlands helicopters in Weston-super-Mare in the late 1980s to find another like it. So this is one last call for you, as an individual, or your workplace union committee, or your branch committee, to discuss and take a decision to attend the march. If you can come, please bring your branch/regional banner and your trade union flags.”
Say No to Fire and Re-Hire