Campaigning to Reinstate Sacked Samworth Brothers Union Activist

The recent rise in the national living wage, although still falling well short of a real living wage of £10 per hour, was meant to make it easier for workers to afford to pay their rent and bills.

But greedy bosses like Leicestershire-based food manufacturers Samworth Brothers are using minimal basic rate increases as a green light to erase premium payments for working unsocial hours.

Kumaran Bose, one of the leading Bakers Union organisers inside Samworth, was sacked earlier this month because he had proven himself extremely effective at recruiting people into his union.

In response, a national campaign has been launched to demand Kumaran’s immediate reinstatement and an end to the climate of bullying at intimidation that is prevalent within Samworth factories.

On Saturday, the Bakers Union and the National Shop Stewards Network organised a public meeting in Leicester to help build this campaign which will include a boycott of goods produced by Samworth Brothers.

Indeed, just prior to the meeting, a bustling picket was staged outside of a local Tesco store – a corporation that does much business with Kumaran’s bullying bosses.

It is noteworthy that earlier this year Tesco also appointed the recent CEO of Samworth Brothers to their board of directors. But unlike Tesco, Samworth bosses refuse to give official recognition to their workers union of choice.

Speaking at the meeting Kumaran pledged to fight to the very end for union recognition for his fellow workers at Samworth with whom he had worked for twelve years.

The Secretary of the Leicester and District Trades Union Council, Tony Church, brought a message of solidarity noting “that Samworth’s have a 19th century mentality when it comes to labour relations”, confirming that they were “fully behind” the Bakers Union in calling upon the company to reverse Kumaran’s disgraceful sacking immediately.

Join the forthcoming protest outside Samworth’s Melton Mowbray HQ: 12.30pm on Sunday 26 June, Chetwode House, LE13 1GA.