John Lewis clearly didn't like today's IWW cleaners' strike in London! West Mids IWW members leafleted the Solihull store in solidarity - customers and passers-by were highly supportive of the campaign and many were shocked to hear that cleaners at John Lewis were not paid a living wage, despite the claims of John Lewis to be an ethical employer.

After a while leafleting outside the doors to John Lewis, we proceeded to distribute leaflets around the store and hand them out to customers. At this point a team of John Lewis managers came to ask us to leave. The John Lewis store managers were already clearly rattled by the IWW strike in London, as managers were ready with their pre-rehearsed lines about the cleaners not being 'actual' John Lewis staff. Solihull management also seemed to be in communication with the London John Lewis branch about our solidarity demonstration as they tried to stop us leafleting the store.

Not content with evicting us from the store, John Lewis management proceeded to get the local security staff, and then police, to hassle us whilst we leafleted supportive customers and passers-by outside. They even got the local trading standards officer in an attempt to find reasons why we shouldn't be allowed to hand out fliers in support of the IWW cleaners!

We put it to the John Lewis management that if they wanted to avoid strikes and solidarity leafleting - which they clearly find so uncomfortable - they should think about actually paying their employees a living wage!

Victory to the IWW cleaners!



www.iww.org.uk/londoncleaners