During the Covid crisis and the series of lockdowns we’ve been through, there were many workers who did not have the luxury of being able to work from home. A lot of those workers are warehouse workers and delivery drivers who slogged their guts out meeting the needs of the work from home brigade. During the lockdowns, it was these workers who kept things going. Also, during the lockdowns, the profits of those companies involved in servicing the work from home brigade increased substantially.

You would have thought that in the spirit of ‘we’re all in it together’ that was supposed to prevail in these troubled times, the companies handsomely profiting from the shop from home boom would be happy to share the proceeds with their workers. Well, in the case of Tesco – and probably quite a few others – the pay deals they’re offering are derisory and will not even compensate for the food price inflation that’s already starting to happen. The offer is 4% – the RPI inflation figure is edging close to 5%. Which is why workers at the Tesco distribution centre in Purfleet, along with others across the country, are set to go out on strike to get an improved deal which reflects the graft they’ve put in over the last 18 months: Purfleet Tesco workers’ strikes could empty shelves.

We offer our 100%, unconditional solidarity to the striking Tesco workers who are fed up with their employers taking the piss. Sure, it’s going to mean a fair bit of inconvenience. That’s the point of taking strike action – to make people aware of how essential the work you do is to the functioning of society. If your’re inconvenienced by this, please don’t blame the striking workers – blame the greedy management at Tescos for treating their workers with disdain.