Workers and protestors inflated a giant rat outside New World Albany at Westfield Mall between midday and 1400 on Saturday as the store owner refused to settle collective agreement with supermarket workers, said FIRST Union national organiser, Bill Bradford.

New World Albany owner, Jamie Eden, claims that he does not know why workers and their supporters are protesting.

He does not seem to realise that low wages are a problem.

“We’re calling on Foodstuffs to bring New World Albany into line and put its workers on a wage they can live on,” said Bradford.

“Foodstuffs is quick to bring their franchise holders into line when they breach cooperative rules, but when franchise holders keep workers on poverty pay Foodstuffs is slow to act.

“This double standard cannot stand. A New World owner who decides to paint his or her store red would get dealt to very quickly, but when the issue is poverty pay or union busting behaviour suddenly the franchises are ‘independently owned’ and all Foodstuffs can do is watch helplessly as greedy store owners take an unfair share of the profits the workers create.

“Foodstuffs needs to bring New World Albany and its owner-operator into line.”

Previously Bradford had emphasised that New World Albany is among the wealthiest stores in the country but that some of its workers are the worst paid.

“Why should New World workers struggle to make ends meet when each year they help create super profits?” queried Bradford.

“New World Albany owner Jamie Eden is creaming it because he refuses to pay his workers a fair wage for the work they do.

“The parents, grandparents and partners who work at New World Albany should earn enough to give their families a decent Christmas.

“We’re calling on Jamie Eden to stop acting so selfishly and to put working people and their families first.”