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27.10.2016 / News / Topshop

Trade union victimisation: Topshop cleaners have been sacked! Support UVW’s legal proceedings.

Two cleaners at billionaire BHS buster Philip Green’s flagship brand Topshop have been sacked for campaigning for a living wage. 

Susana was summarily sacked this month by Topshop’s contractor Britannia Services Group, under pressure from Topshop and the Arcadia Gruoup of which Topshop is the flagship brand. 

She was sacked for having held a placard saying “Topshop shame on you” during a protest for a living wage outside the store. 

Another cleaner at Topshop, Carolina, who is Susana’s best friend, and was also a campaigner for the living wage has also beeen sacked for the same reason.

The Topshop Two, as they are known, are both single mums from Ecuador who had cleaned Topshop’s falgship store for 9 years between them. Susana had worked there for 7 of those years and was the longest serving cleaner there.

Joining a trade union and protesting are human rights. However, one of the main reasons why we live in a low wage economy is because too many workers are afraid of exercising those rights in order to demand a pay rise because of arrogant and unscrupulous employers like Topshop and Britannia that think think respecting worker’s and human rights is discretionary. 

We cannot let them get away with this. They must be held to account.

The Topshop Two showed extraordinary courage in campaigning for a livng wage and they now need your support to hold their union busting employer to account.

Their union UVW have started legal proceedings on their behalf for trade union victimisation. However, legal fees can cost several thousand pounds for two big claims like this and UVW runs on a shoe string budget. 

Therefore, if you would like to contribute towards the legal fees of the Topshop Two’s Tribunal claims then please do so via paypal by follwing this link
http://www.uvwunion.org.uk/emergency-appeal (you’ll see the button at the bottom of the page) or just by transferring directly to UVW’s bank account:

The Co-operative Bank
Account title: United Voices of the World
Sort code: 08-92-99
Account: 65755617

This is a very important case. A win for the The Topshop Two will be a win not only for migrant workers but for all low paid workers who are fighting for a living wage. 

Many thanks and solidarity!

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