Net-a-Porter staff threaten strike motion as row over London Living Wage breaks out at luxurious on-line retailer
Net-a-Porter staff will vote on taking strike action after accusing bosses of going back on their pledge to pay them the London Living Wage.
The luxury online retailer, which sells bag for £9,000, dresses for £14,000 and jewellery for up to £158,000, promised in 2021 to pay staff around £14.80 an hour, according to the GMB Union.
But the online business has offered workers significantly less.
Under current proposals the lowest paid staff will receive £14.41 per hour – 39p under the London Living Wage’s hourly rate, the union says.
More than 100 workers at the luxury retailer’s warehouse in Charlton, south-east London, will now vote on whether to walk out on strike over pay.
Net-a-Porter has been accused of reneging on a promise to pay its staff the London Living Wage, which is currently £14.80 an hour
The Charlton depot close to the Thames Barrier is a key distribution hub for Net-a-Porter, where staff roles include pickers and packers for the firm.
Craig Prickett, GMB Regional Organiser, said: ‘For a luxury fashion brand serving wealthy customers around the world, it is simply unacceptable that the people doing the work are struggling to make ends meet in London.
‘Workers are already dealing with rising costs and increasing workloads following the recent restructuring.
‘Instead of recognising their contribution, the company has offered a pay proposal that keeps wages well below what is needed to live in London.
‘GMB members do not want to take strike action, but they deserve fairness, respect and a wage that reflects the cost of their lives in the capital.’
Meanwhile the designer store just completed a redundancy process in which many workers who volunteered to leave were refused because they were considered ‘too valuable’ to the business, GMB claimed.
Net-a-Porter is owned by LuxExperience, the Germany-based operator of a number of virtual online luxury fashion department stores.
It also owns the Mr Porter and Yoox brands.
LuxExperience said last month that it hopes to hit £3.4billion (€4bn) in annual net sales by 2030.
A spokesman said of the strike threat: ‘LuxExperience confirms that we remain engaged in a constructive and ongoing dialogue with our employees and their union representatives.
‘Our fundamental priority is to ensure we operate as a fair employer, providing a comprehensive remuneration package.
‘While no final decisions have been reached regarding the ongoing vote, we are fully committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to reach a positive, sustainable resolution for our teams and the company’.
