End supermarket profiteering call
Activists in Hull demand an end to supermarket profiteering
Reading time: 3 min
A coalition of local campaigners and trade unionists will stage a protest outside Asda in Hull to highlight the deep injustice of residents in Hull going hungry while supermarkets like Asda engage in a grotesque display of unchecked profiteering.
The protest will take place on Monday, February 6 from 12pm to 1pm at Hessle Road Asda superstore (HU3 4PE) in Hull.
Unite research shows the big 3 UK supermarkets made £3.2 billion profit in 2021/22. That’s 97% more profit than they made in 2019/20, the last full year before the pandemic.
Asda made £1 billion in profit in 2021; its earnings more than doubled from £487 million before the pandemic in 2019.
The injustice and impact of this unchecked profiteering is laid bare by a recent poll conducted in Hull which showed that:
- 20% of residents in Hull – 53,420 people – are living in food poverty.
- 80,130 local residents (30%) have either gone into debt or increased their levels of debt in order to meet the increased cost of grocery items.
Unite for a Workers’ Economy argues that instead of prioritising corporate profits, supermarkets should be lowering prices and paying their workers more.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said, “A coalition of local campaigners and trade unionists will be out in full force to expose the damage that supermarket profiteering is doing to our communities.
“Asda is engaging in a grotesque display of unchecked profiteering while tens of thousands of residents in Hull go hungry.
“Instead of prioritising corporate profits, supermarkets should be lowering prices and paying their workers more.”
From workplace to community Unite is driving a UK-wide strategy to help bring change to ‘heartland’ communities following the failure of politicians to act. ‘Unite for a Workers’ Economy’ has begun with a major national campaign across key battle-ground seats up and down the UK, including Glasgow, Grimsby, Hull, Leigh, Barrow, Workington, Morecombe and Crawley.
By Ciaran Naidoo
