commerce
Global union
|
|
|
|
Lidl workers fight for their
rights
Updated on 14.03.2007 |
|||||||
|
Commerce Background Paper on Lidl (26.03.2004)
|
Unions accuse Lidl of serious rights violations in several European countries Through store visits and cross border solidarity action, commerce unions in several European countries have drawn attention to German hard discounter Lidl's harsh employer policies. The company is repeatedly violating fundamental workers' and trade union rights, both at its home market in Germany and in other European countries, the unions say. This includes an active resistance against establishing representation structures for the German workers. 14 March 2007 - Full story German commerce union protests freeze European credit for Lidl company group expansion to Romania German commerce union ver.di has intervened with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), putting into question a planned credit for the multinational Schwarz Group. This German holding structure owns the notoriously anti-union hard discounter Lidl, as well as the discount hypermarket chain Kaufland. They had sought financing support for a planned Kaufland expansion in Romania. 1 February 2007 - Full story
Are
Lidl stores security risks for shop workers and consumers? Many Lidl stores may be serious security risks for both workers and consumers. In Sweden, a consultant warns that all store roofs may not hold for wet snow that builds up. In Ostrava in the Czech Republic, the roof of a Lidl store fell down just after New Year. 19 January 2006 - Full story Lidl makes Croatian commerce close ranks to protect companies and workers against social dumping
The Croatian commerce trade union is preparing for a fast expansion of German hard discounter Lidl. The company, which is well known for its poor labour relations, has recently entered the country. Yesterday in Zagreb, union president Ana Kne˛ević told about workers' experiences in other countries, and particularly in Germany. In Croatia, it is not only the workers who are worried about the entry of Lidl, also competitors are afraid that it will bring a walmartization development into the country, which is now preparing itself for a European Union membership. 20 December 2005 - Full story Lidl Black Book published in English by UNI Commerce and ver.di The Black Book on Lidl has been published in English as a joint project by UNI Commerce and ver.di. It tells the stories of mainly German Lidl workers and lays bare the poor labour relations of the hard discounter. Present all over Europe, and fast growing, the discounter of headband fame is a frontrunner for walmartization of the continent's working life. 20 December 2005 - Full story Once
again, brutal behaviour by German hard discounter:
German hard discounter Lidl reacted brutally when workers in Calw participated in a strike to speed up collective bargaining negotiations in commerce. The company reacted promptly and decided to close the store, although both turnover and customer numbers were growing. It is not hard to see the similarity with Wal-Mart's decision to put 200 workers on the street in De Jonquičre, Canada, closing a profitable store when they wanted to organise in UFCW. (9 August 2005) Irresponsible
behaviour puts customers' health at risk:
Lidl has been caught in a new scandal in Sweden. The German hard discounter has been selling 'meat', which in laboratory controls has been shown to contain also other ingredients. Thus it has circumvented salmonella controls and put its customers' health at risk. The Swedish food industry does not spare its words in criticising Lidl's irresponsible behaviour. (15 April 2005) Lidl reacts to criticism for wage dumping, employs Swedish transport firm German hard discounter Lidl has ceded to the strong criticism it received for social dumping in its local transports in Sweden. The company had employed foreign companies with drivers from Latvia, who worked in violation with Swedish rules, media reports said. Now a contract has been signed with a Swedish transporter instead, but the court case will continue. (30 March 2005) Hard
discounter of headband fame attacked by suppliers: Lidl distribution centres in northern and eastern Germany were blocked in the early morning hours yesterday by angry farmers. Supported by their union, they said that the low milk prices paid by Lidl and Aldi have destroyed the perspectives for their future. Like Wal-Mart, Lidl tries to defend itself through a costly PR campaign, but nothing seems to wash last year's disastrous headband scandal away. (24 March 2005) Full storyLidl destroyed records in Ireland to avoid being caught for age discrimination Lidl has been caught for destroying employment records to escape from charges of age discrimination, and ordered to pay a compensation to a 51 years old man. (23 March 2003) Lidl signs collective agreement in Norway - but in Germany repression continues Lidl's Norwegian workers are now protected by a collective agreement. The union's vice president says that some domestic firms could learn from the German discounter. At the same time, Lidl continues its harsh repression of the workers at home in Germany. Also Lidl's advertising agency has got enough of the hard discounter's behaviour, and thrown in the towel. (23 March 2005) Lidl is pressing its workers so hard that they have to take sick leave, Swedish newspaper writes Lidl is pressing its workers so that they have to take sick leave. This is what a Swedish regional newspaper writes, commenting on the situation in a Lidl store in Bromölla. - Lidl is a company that is managed from the top down, Sydöstran writes, and says that it has a rougher corporate culture than what people in Sweden are used to. - At Swedish workplaces we are not used to toilet visits by staff to be questioned, the Swedish newspaper says. (4 March 2005) Latvian Lidl drivers worked under sub-standard conditions in Sweden German hard discounter Lidl has been taken to court by a Swedish transport company, for breaking European rules. The company's Finnish transport supplier is also said to have used Latvian workers under social dumping conditions. (3 March 2005) Finnish
TV-show goes hard on Lidl: German hard discounter Lidl came out very badly in a prime time television news show aired on the Finnish public service channel on Sunday night. Former employees spoke about draconian controls and demeaning treatment by managers. But not everyone dared to speak out. Two former supervisors confirmed that they could have much to say, but were too afraid to do it. (22 February 2005) Vienna Dialogue continues in Berlin - welcomes trade union cooperation to support Lidl workers The so-called Vienna Dialogue continued in Berlin, Germany last week. Initiated by UNI affiliate GPA, this regional European cooperation wants to promote trade union rights and a decent protection of workers' rights and interests through legislation and collective agreements. It brings together commerce trade unions from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. UNI Commerce participates in the meetings and works together with GPA Commerce on the particular issues. (23 February 2005) Full storyLidl blocked emergency exits, fined by British court German hard discounter Lidl has been fined 3,000 GBP (4,350 Euro) for breaking against the British Health and Safety at Work Act. (23 February 2005) Full storyLooming
fight of the 'powers of darkness': Lidl will take on drugstore hard discounter Schlecker in what can come to be a real fight between the forces of darkness. Both discounters are about as bad employers as can be. (22 February 2005)
Social
dumping is not good for consumer confidence: Lidl comes last among all retail chains in Sweden in a recent survey on consumer confidence. When more than 70 per cent were satisfied with ICA, the joint venture between Dutch commerce multinational Ahold and private Swedish shopkeepers, only 47 per cent of the consumers had confidence in Lidl. Customer loyalty in ICA was almost twice as high as in Lidl, almost 90 per cent against barely 45 per cent among Lidl-shoppers. The two other major chains, Coop and Axfood, place themselves very close to ICA. This confirms similar information from Finland and Norway, and in the United Kingdom Lidl has bitterly failed in challenging Tesco's leading role. (28 January 2005) Commerce dialogue gets more important as competition hardens and the RFID chip arrives - can also help more responsible retailers compete with Wal-Mart and Lidl Commerce trade unions and serious retailers have a common interest to stop social dumping and walmartization, says Jan Furstenborg, head of UNI-Europa Commerce. He makes reference particularly to the two leaders of the race towards the bottom, Wal-Mart and Lidl, both well known also for their union-busting operations. If correctly introduced, RFID
technology can give new possibilities for decent employers to ensure
that Wal-Mart and Lidl do not succeed in destroying the future of world
retailing,
but employment effects must be controlled through social dialogue and
agreements. Walmartization
in a European tapping:
Management by mistrust and fear seems to be the company's approach wherever it can get by with it. Germany's UNI Commerce affiliate ver.di has recently published a collection of workers' stories about life inside the company. The ver.di 'Schwarzbuch' has inspired other workers as well to tell their stories. A new Black Book will therefore soon be published by the union, to complement the web log that ver.di has already opened up on its internet site. (11 January 2005)
Lidl wrote to
UNI about headbands scandal, denies media reports: Lidl, the German hard discounter, has responded to UNI's request that the company apologize to its Czech and Polish workers. In their letter to UNI, the Lidl management says that they share UNI's view that asking women workers to wear special headbands to be able to go to the toilet during working hours would be appalling. But, says the company, "there was absolutely no sign which would suggest that any of the described behaviour took place in any way". (2 October 2004)
Not a single
word from Lidl's owner: Lidl remains quiet about the recent scandal when management required women workers in Poland and the Czech Republic to wear special headbands during their monthly periods. This was to identify them, when they went to the toilet. Otherwise, Lidl workers in these countries are strictly forbidden to visit the toilet during working time. Rumours are that some Lidl cashiers have resorted to wearing nappies to work. In a letter to Lidl's owner and undisputable master Dieter Schwarz, UNI demanded that he stand up and apologize to the women, whom his company had subjected to this demeaning treatment. UNI Commerce raised Lidl's behaviour also at the last session of the European Union social dialogue for commerce, in Brussels last Friday. (25 September 2004) Full story
Once again, German
hard discounter showed its true face: Lidl has once again shown its true face. Lebensmittelzeitung, the leading commerce weekly, tells that the German hard discounter has forced its Czech saleswomen to wear a special headband during their menstruation periods, as they were the only ones allowed to go to the toilet during working time. Reportedly, this practice was imposed on the women workers also in Poland, which shows that the management in Germany must have known and approved of it. (31 August 2004) Strong unions can influence the secretive retailer Lidl Helsinki (10.06.2004 – Irmeli Palmu) The German retail chain Lidl is moving forward on many fronts and conquering new markets. However, it keeps everything under wraps and infringes the rights of its employees in many countries.
In Finland Lidl is one employer among many. It has joined the employers' federation, engaged in negotiations with the trade union movement, and shop stewards have been elected at its workplaces. Its operations in Finland began in 2002 under the impenetrable shroud of secrecy that has become the company hallmark. (15 June 2004)
A climate of
fear and intimidation is their corporate model
In a nervous response to ver.di's information campaign on 100 Lidl stores in Germany, the hard discounter's management rushed to instruct its store supervisors to remove all information material that they could lay their hands on. UNI Commerce affiliate ver.di will tell more about its information campaign at next week's European trade union meeting on Lidl, in Tampere, Finland. (26 March 2004) The ugly
face of greed in commerce:
German hard discounter Lidl is fast emerging as a B-class copy of world's largest retailer Wal-Mart. Owned by entrepreneur Dieter Schwarz, the store chain is expanding all over Europe. Wherever it can, and particularly at home in Germany, Lidl goes to great lengths to stop its workers from joining trade unions. The hard discounter's management culture appears to be particularly ugly as workers and suppliers are treated with equal harshness. UNI-Europa Commerce has invited affiliated trade unions to a meeting in Finland next week, to set up a European trade union network on Lidl. (26 March 2004)
|
Unions accuse Lidl of serious rights violations in several European countries 14.03.2007 German commerce union protests freeze European credit for Lidl company group expansion to Romania 01.02.2007 Verdi Commerce Conference in Germany turns spotlight on social costs of discount prices 27.06.2006 Lidl store roofs may not hold for wet snow 19.01.2006 Lidl 'Black Book' published in English by UNI Commerce and ver.di (20.12.2005) Lidl makes Croatian commerce close ranks to protect companies workers (20.12.2005) Lidl closes store where workers participated in legal strike (09.08.2005) Lidl in Sweden sold meat which is not meat (15.04.2005) Lidl reacts to criticism for wage dumping, employs Swedish transport firm (30.03.2005) Lidl warehouses blocked by angry farmers worried about their future (24.03.2005) Lidl destroyed records in Ireland to avoid being caught for age discrimination (23.03.2005) Lidl workers in Norway get collective agreement - but in Germany repression continues (23.03.2005) German trade unionists visited over 1,000 Lidl and Schlecker stores, informed about workers rights (11.03.2005) Lidl once again criticised for bad employer behaviour in Sweden (10.03.2005) Lidl is pressing its workers so hard that they have to take sick leave, Swedish newspaper writes (04.03.2005) Lidl under suspicion for breaking EU transport rules in Sweden (03.03.2005) Vienna dialogue continues in Berlin - welcomes trade union cooperation to support Lidl workers (23.02.2005) Lidl blocked emergency exits, fined by British court (23.02.2005) Lidl takes on Schlecker, two ruthless employers prepare for real fight (22.02.2005) Finnish television news show goes hard on Lidl's employer performance (22.05.2005) Lidl has the lowest quality by far in Swedish retailing, customer survey shows (28.01.2005) Added importance for EU social dialogue as competition hardens and RFID chip is coming (26.01.2005) Workers and their union expose Lidl's bad employer practices (11.01.2005) Lidl wrote to UNI, denied that company demanded women workers to wear headbands during monthly periods (02.10.2004) UNI demanded that Lidl owner Schwarz apologize to maltreated Polish and Czech women workers (25.09.2004) Lidl required Czech and Polish women workers to wear head bands during their monthly periods (31.08.2004) Strong unions can influence secretive retailer Lidl (15.06.2004) Social dumping and management by fear - Lidl wants to be the Wal-Mart of Europe? Lidl workers in Germany interested in unions, management removes
ver.di material from workplaces European enlargement - unions say no to social dumping and walmartization of working life (26.01.2004) Joint Statement by EuroCommerce and UNI-Europa Commerce on Corporate Social Responsibility (11.11.2003) Added pressure on already poor wages and conditions - Lidl comes with big bang to Central and Eastern Europe (10.02.2003)
|
|||||
|
Uni Commerce and Uni-Europa Commerce, Geneva jan.furstenborg@union-network.org
frieda.gazzini@union-network.org
Go to: About Us - News Desk - Affiliates Only - Welcome |
|||||||
