Four days after posting record profits over £1 billion, NEXT closed its only unionised factory in Sri Lanka – and fired 1,416 workers via WhatsApp.
Before NEXT shut it down, this was the only unionised factory with a collective bargaining agreement in the whole country. This is an agreement made between trade unions and employers that helps workers to win pay rises, improve working conditions and gain protections against workplace sexual harassment.
NEXT claims the unionised factory was too expensive to operate. Unionised workers had won a wage increase of less than £10 a month – bringing their salaries to around £100 a month. This is still less than one third of the Sri Lankan living wage. At the same time, NEXT gave its British CEO Lord Wolfson a £3,560,000 bonus – but £10 for essential workers is unaffordable?
This isn’t about money – it’s union-busting. NEXT’s message is clear: it will take action against workers’ rights in the Global South.
The fired workers are struggling to find other employment, and now face hunger, homelessness and spiralling debt. Managers at other factories consider them to be ‘trouble-makers’ – just for demanding their basic rights.
War on Want supporters helped secure NEXT workers’ historic victory to gain union recognition in 2021 by putting pressure on the company to meet workers’ demands. It’s time to stand in solidarity with those workers again.
Write to NEXT management today, to demand that it reopens the factory and reinstates all workers with the same pay, conditions and union recognition.
