Union backs licensees' march on Parliament
Trade union Unite has thrown its full weight of support behind Inez Ward's Justice for Licensees campaign — including backing a protest march on Parliament against pubco power and Government regulation.
The union's link-up with the group includes producing a Pub Charter of reform to ensure a fair deal for tied tenants.
High profile tenant rights activist Ward, Enterprise lessee at Mavericks in Newquay, Cornwall, was the brains behind the Pubco Protest outside the HQ's of Punch and Enterprise in January and has 280,000 members on her Save the Great British Pub Facebook campaign.
Unite, which already has 10,000 licensee members under its Licensees Unite group, has offered the support of its marketing and organisational teams to make the protest on Parliament as effective as possible.
Although no date has yet been set, the offer of support will provide a welcome boost to disgruntled tenants who believe the beer tie and unsustainable rents are to blame for their plight.
Unite is the second trade union inside two weeks to offer help to tied licensees and shows how high profile the issue of the tie has now become. The GMB Union recently waded in to support the Fair Pint campaign by claiming that pubcos were to blame for closures.
"We are fully behind Inez Ward's campaign for fairness," said Jennie Formby of Unite. "We have an issue with the British Beer and Pub Association's claim that 75,000 jobs will be lost if tax on alcohol increases. Tax is not the only issue here. We support the aims of their campaign to stop further duty increases but the pubcos are also contributing to pub closures and job losses.
"I think the pubco system is very unfair."
Time for action
Ward stressed the march was as much against the Government's treatment of pubs as it was against the pubcos but argued the trade could never be united against the Government until changes to the pubco model were made.
"Enough is enough, we march on London and we march en-masse. We will march with pride and dignity with our heads held high for this trade.
"No longer will the licensees and the pubs and their customers allow the pub to be adversely affected by some company or some Government.
"We march and we march for the pubs of Great Britain — the Great British pub."
She added: "This will be a hell of a step up on the march to Burton last January. There is a huge appetite and strength of conviction against the pubcos.
"So many people are hurting and there is no time to waste. The pubcos have got to change but they have to do it now.
"There is no two ways about it — now is the time for action."
