Luxury fashion retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter could see delays to its ecommerce distribution in the run up to Christmas, with industrial action at its South-East London depot.
GMB, the union for retail and distribution, will launch 22 days of strike action at the Charlton depot in a dispute over pay. More than 200 union members voted in favour of the walk out, with GMB stating current proposals would leave members without a pay rise for the first six months of the financial year.
The proposed dates include Black Friday, but not Cyber Monday. If the industrial action goes ahead, union members would strike on:
- Tuesday 07 November 2023 from 0630am until Saturday 11 November 0800am
- Monday 20 November 2023 from 0630am until Saturday 25 November 0800am
- Monday 04 December 2023 from 0630am until Saturday 16 December at 0800am
“Given how much money the company makes, it’s only fair that a few crumbs from the table get sent to the people generating this income,” said Mick Butler, GMB regional organiser.
“Net-a-Porter is a luxury brand that sells high-end fashion for large sums of money. None of their operations would be possible though without our members working hard to ensure these online purchases get to their destinations on time.
“If Yoox Net-a-Porter don’t want their operations halted at what is undoubtedly their busiest time of year, GMB are prepared to meet at any time to discuss a decent pay rise for our members.”
A company profile featured in the recently published RetailX Global Fashion 2023 report found that Net-a-Porter, which is owned by Yoox Group, has seen revenues across the whole group drop since their peak of $1.4bn in 2015 to just under $1bn in 2022. But noted that retailer is continuing to thrive, selling luxury and designer end-of-line goods online worldwide to an audience of shoppers.
