4 October 2020

On Friday 2 October 2020, Anti*Capitalist Resistance sent a message of solidarity to Richie Venton and IKEA USDAW members.

A message to Richie Venton and IKEA USDAW members.

Anti-Capitalist Resistance congratulates Richie Venton and all the USDAW members at IKEA Glasgow on their fight against the management’s imposition of draconian cutbacks in sickness benefits during the pandemic. We condemn IKEA’s sacking of Richie for doing his job as a trade-union rep. That is for organising a union, defending union members, and telling the truth to members about management plans.

IKEA’s cuts in sick pay will force many IKEA USDAW members to ignore their Covid symptoms, continue going to work and endanger other staff and the public. IKEA’s callous attitude to the health of employees is the same as that of the English nationalist Tory government in Westminster who tells us we have to learn to live with the virus. What they mean is that private profits are more important than people’s lives. IKEA made a profit of £11.2 billion last year. IKEA can therefore well afford to pay proper sick pay, that is your full wages, while you have to self-isolate or are off sick with the virus.

In this time of the pandemic, the employers will not pause in their war against the gains of the trade-union movement. So today, our side should not offer any ceasefire in the belief that we are all in the same boat together. We’re not in the same boat as the bosses, and your fight, which is also our fight, goes on.

Anti-Capitalist Resistance will campaign with other socialists and trade-unionists to get Richie his job back and support your fight against the attacks on your pay and conditions. 

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In Solidarity Anti*Capitalist Resistance 

The campaign website to reinstate Richie Venton can be found here