Guerilla musical flashmobs hit London 'sweatshop' supermarkets
* Footage to come!*
Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencers, and Tesco stores in East London were occupied by climate justice and trade union activists protesting alleged abuse of workers at Kent greenhouse growers Thanet Earth.
The salad giant supplies supermarkets with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers all year round.
The activists dressed in green sang a version of US pop star Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, titled 'Greenwash Dream'. Lyrics reference the Ethical Trading Initiative, hydroponics, casualisation, agencies taking bribes for work, sacking of union leaders and the need for workers rights and permanent contracts.
(Photo by Guy Smallman http://www.guysmallman.com/)
Unite the Union, which has members at Thanet Earth has submitted a body of evidence to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority including accounts of years of employment without contracts, discrimination against workers taking holidays, denial of holiday pay and paid holidays, summary dismissals, bullying and union busting.
Armed with a portable amp, green wigs, cuddly peppers, and a dance routine, they serenaded shoppers and held up Thanet Earth tomatoes re-labelled 'Sweatshop Greenwash Tomatoes'.
Passers-by applauded the group as management attempted to block a camerawoman from filming.
“Our action had an immediate effect – one shopper at M&S said she would boycott the company until they put a stop to exploitation of workers at Thanet Earth”, said activist Anna Evans from Clapton.
Following a “Race to the Bottom' protest outside M&S's flagship store in Oxford Street last month the company removed all references to Thanet Earth from its' products for a week.
Unite the Union activists have called a week of direct action targeting Thanet Earth buyers Sainsbury's, Tesco, M&S and Asda from June 27th-July 2nd. 'Secret Shopper' flashmobs, 'races to the bottom', store occupations, and phone and email blockades are planned.
ENDS
Photos and footage available on request.
For interviews with Thanet Earth workers call: Ewa Jasiewicz, organiser, South East Region, on 07900 160 851
1.Thanet Earth is part of the Fresca Group Ltd. Other companies growing at Thanet Earth are Dutch firms Rainbow Growers Group, Kaaij Greenhouses and A&A.
2.The agencies employed at Thanet Earth are Kent Staff, HRGO, Worldwide Recruitment and Red Eagle.
3.Most of the major supermarkets in the UK are signatories to the Ethical Trading Initiative base-code which states regular employment must be provided and free association and union organisation facilitated
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Lyrics and link to original :
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=katy+perry+teenage+dream&aq=f
Greenwash Dream
You think youre green but,
You don't give us workers rights
You think youre caring
Without any real contracts
I know you rent me
You let our wages come down, right down
You say you're green but
You dont grow your veg in soil
You say you care but you leave us in doubt and toil
You promised locals jobs but you never ever gave, never gave
Lets get out of flexi work
Nothing sure
Just graft
We can work until we die
No contract
We'll be temps forever!
You make me,
feel like Im living a Greenwash Dream
You work me to the bone
I don't sleep
Youre spinning ethics but you always backtrack, yeah you always
backtrack
E-T-I
Youre all ignoring it
We dont lie
We're getting hardest hit
This is Real
We need our rights and per-ma-nent con-tracts, per-ma-nent contracts
Taking back-handers
Thats what some agencies do
Sack union leaders,
For standing right up to you
We're gonna fight back
The race to the bottom hurts
All of us
Lets go all the way on pay
No wage cuts, just fair deals
We need Just Transition now
Local food, workers rights and contracts
You make me,
feel like Im living a Greenwash Dream
You work me to the bone
I don't sleep
Youre spinning ethics but you always backtrack, yeah you always
backtrack
E-T-I
Youre all ignoring it
We dont lie
We're getting hardest hit
This is Real
We need our rights and per-ma-nent con-tracts, per-ma-nent contracts
Gonna get my hands racing
On the packhouse line
Be your greenwash dream tonight
When you casualize my life
And outsource our strife
Be your greenwash dream tonight
Yoooooooooooooou
You make me
Feel like Im living a greenwash dream
You work us to the bone
I don't sleep
Youre spinning ethics
But you always backtrack, yeah you always backtrack
E-T-I
Youre all ignoring it
We dont lie
We're getting hardest hit
This is Real
We need our rights and per-ma-nent con-tracts, per-ma-nent contracts
Gonna get my hands racing
On the packhouse line
Be your greenwash dream tonight
When you casualize my life
And outsource our strife
Be your greenwash dream tonight, tonight, tonight
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