Morrison the Saviour of Swale

Last week I wrote an article, which told, of a rumour going round the town about Morrison’s making redundant local people from the night shift rather then foreign workers. I asked the questions could this be true and our local MP responded very soon after the request, his answer was as follows  

Dear Martin

Gordon asked me to check the validity of your email allegations in respect of Morrison’s distribution Centre at Kemsley.

The FACTS and GOOD NEWS are that Morrison’s is recruiting extra workers NOT making them redundant. They have just undergone a recruitment drive for their night shift as a result of which they have taken on 30 new staff.

A consequence of taking on extra full time staff is of course that they need less temporary agency workers and your incorrect information probably came from that source.

Morrison’s locally are a jobs success with their Distribution Centre (1,100 jobs) and Faversham Store (250 jobs); and with the building of two new supermarkets this year at Sittingbourne (350 jobs) and Queenborough (250 jobs) their employment creation in Swale is very welcome.

So things look quite rosy and Morrison’s will become the savior of the area? Yet my letter did get a response from someone who has lost his job on the night shift. He tells me he has worked for the company for 2 years and was called to a meeting where he was told he along with others would be put on short time 20 hours because there was not enough work, he obviously complained stating the obvious that how good he a keep a family on 20 hours a week. He was told that once the stores are built they could return to full work this could be up to two years away, he was also told to look at his contract because there was a clause in stating that Morrison’s could put him on part time when there was no work!

Now Morrison’s give the impression that they are looking after the local work force if that is the case why are they giving English lessons to new foreign workers?

It seems big companies like Morrison’s backed up by the political elite can do and say what they want with out impunity and those English workers who refuse to work for a pittance are nothing but lazy dole loving English and where are the Unions, they are quick to fight for professional pension rights but forget about the lowly worker who is being marginalized in England

Can I make a radical suggestion instead of making all the staff work part time why not send all the foreign workers home and let local Englishman keep job  full time and let them look after their own families rather then being forced on the dole and being a burden to the state.

Mind you I could be wrong all the rumors may be just a conspiracy to blacken Morrison’s name? Well that is for the reader to decide

Martin Clarke Sittingbourne