My friends at the\u00a0Irish\u00a0Congress of Trade Unions have just issued this press release, which I welcome and support:<\/p>\n
The revelation that the Starbucks coffee chain has paid no UK taxes for three years is a national scandal with profound implications for local traders across Northern Ireland, says the ICTU Assistant General Secretary, Peter Bunting.<\/em><\/p>\n Speaking to a meeting of trade union activists ahead of the anti-austerity march and rally next Saturday, 20th<\/sup>\u00a0October, Mr Bunting said:<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe retail and private sector service sector has been particularly badly hit during this recession. Hundreds of small businesses and thousands of workers in shops, bars, hairdressers and cafes have lost their jobs as over a quarter of retail spaces in Belfast and across Northern Ireland lie empty.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe in the trade unions warned the government of the consequences of wage freezes and mass redundancies in times of inflation, and every day proves us right. The Austerity policies of this Tory-led administration are creating havoc in the private sector.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut there is another reason why locally-owned small businesses are going under \u2014 they are being forced out of the game by the unfair competition from multinational corporations such as Starbucks who use tax avoiding scams which are perfectly legal but fundamentally immoral.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cConsumers should realise that every time they buy something from a company which skirts its civic duty and pays no taxes, they are taking business from a good local employer who pays the taxes which pays for the education and health of their workers.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cStarbucks represent the deliberate detachment from all social decency which is too typical of tax-avoiding corporations \u2014 exactly the anti-social behaviour encouraged by the Tories who refuse to take on Starbucks, while laying the blame and the boot into welfare claimants and low-paid workers.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cEthical consumerism begins at home. Support local cafes and bars, and send Starbucks and other tax dodgers a clear massage \u2014 Unless you contribute to society, this society has no cash for your coffee.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0For all those seeking a fairer way to the methods of Starbucks and the message of the Tories should come out and join their trade union brothers and sisters\u00a0rallying against the cuts<\/a>\u00a0in welfare, education, health and other public services on Saturday 20th<\/sup>\u00a0October.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My friends at the\u00a0Irish\u00a0Congress of Trade Unions have just issued this press release, which I welcome and support: The revelation that the Starbucks coffee chain
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