'Marks and Sparks' going union?

What has TESCO, Britain's most successful retailer, got that the ailing M & S hasn't? Answer: a recognised trade union for its staff.

But all that might be about to change, because USDAW, the union which organises TESCO staff, yesterday launched a drive for union recognition in 'Marksies'. The campaign is supported by a new web-site which you can find here.

With union density standing at about 11% across the retail sector in the UK its good to see unions beginning to grasp the nettle a bit and start taking on some of the high street giants. M & S was always seen as a bit of a prestige employer - which paid above the sector average, and had lower staff turnover than its rivals. But in recent years, faced with falling profits due in a large part to sluggish management, M & S has decided to try and turn round its fortunes by penalising its most important resource - its staff (Funny how most corporate recovery strategies focus on squeezing costs of out the workforce isn't it!).