Critics asked to take a 'reality check'
Shopworkers' union Usdaw has sprung to the defence of giant grocer Tesco, whose power in convenience retail has come under increasing attack from politicians and pressure groups.

As the debate becomes more strident, Usdaw fears ordinary workers' interests are being overlooked and has called for the supermarket's critics to take a 'reality check'.

Tesco and other big grocers are expected to come under fire this month when Parliament's All-Party Small Shops Group publishes its report on the future of retail. MPs believe the corner shop will be dead within 10 years as supermarket strength grows.

But Usdaw national officer Pauline Foulkes, who represents 120,000 of the grocer's employees, insisted the benefits to staff of Tesco's growth in the convenience market should not be ignored.

She said: 'In a debate that seems to centre on the interests of customers and suppliers, the one group to be forgotten are staff. There is no comparison between the terms and conditions that the average corner shop worker enjoys and what Tesco staff enjoy - significantly better pay, better pension rights and the protection of a trade union, which most corner shops don't encourage.'

She said Tesco is strongly committed to adequate protection of staff in small stores, which are often 'blighted by violence and abuse'.

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