Yesterday was a sunny day so my flatmate and I decided to go shopping in town. When walking past Topshop, we noticed a lot of security and a crowd of people handing out flyers titled "REINSTATE THE TOPSHOP TWO". For those of you that know me... I can be a bit of a loudmouth and was intrigued by the flyers; so we approached one of the people handing them out. We soon discovered that the 'Topshop Two", Carolina and Susana were cleaners in Topshop's flagship store on London's Oxford Street, but were suspended and then ultimately sacked for joining a trade union and demanding a living wage.
At first I thought this story couldn't be true because of Topshop's reputation, it seems to be such an established company and as they are so successful I thought that they would be a great company to work for and would want the best for their employees... but clearly I was wrong!!
Photo Credit - Google Images
The pair were receiving 'poverty wages' which was being managed by the Britannia Services Group (this is the company that are responsible for the contracts of cleaning staff at Topshop). It has been released that Topshop is well aware of the misconduct that Britannia is getting away with but are turning a blind eye... How are people supposed to support themselves on lower than the minimum wage?! After speaking to the man who handed us the flyer, I came home and took it upon myself to research more into this issue because I was in such shock.
When researching, I found out that this issue arose in 2011 and single mother Susana, was a cleaner at Topshop for over 6 years. Stress and anxiety resulted in her having months off work but she remained working under those pay conditions because her job was the only source of income and as a mother of three she relied on her wages. According to the Guardian, Britannia said they could not discuss personnel issues with the press due to data protection and privacy laws... Personally, I believe this is not a good enough response.
"Susanas online petition currently has more than 32,500 signatures" (the Guardian, 2016)
I support the Topshop Two and hope they get the justice they deserve! Rant over!!
