"Boohoo refuses to let union talk to workers about representation", 16 May 2019

The booming online fashion retailer Boohoo is refusing to allow trade union officials to discuss recognition for employees months after its founder told MPs she was open to union representation...

[T]he founder of Boohoo Carol Kane told MPs she would allow union recognition at her distribution offices in Burnley if workers wanted it.

But the Usdaw union said Boohoo had rebuffed six months of repeated attempts to start recognition discussions.

Last month Boohoo again declined a request from Mike Aylward, north-west divisional officer for Usdaw, to meet employee representatives to discuss union representation...

The Boohoo distribution centre in Burnley employs up to 3,000 workers at peak times, and is one of the biggest employers in the town. Aylward said the company was continuing to refuse to allow the union to engage with employee representatives to discuss union recognition... “They are certainly don’t seem to be taking the recommendations of the committee [of MPs] seriously,” he said...

In a statement, Boohoo said: “Listening to the views and opinions of our team has always been a core part of our philosophy, which is why we have our employee engagement forum, Your Voice, which has been running for five years. As we have previously stated to Usdaw, we are consulting with our team with regards to their interest in meeting with a union and these conversations are ongoing.”

The company said it had submitted an application to join the Ethical Trading Initiative...