Burberry Workers Demonstrate Outside Burberry Stores In London’s Regent Street and New Bond Street Against Welsh Factory Closure

Over one hundred GMB members will be traveling from the threatened Burberry Treorchy factory on Saturday 18^th November to lobby and demonstrate outside Burberry stores on Regent Street and Bond Street in London. The workers are furious that a profit making company that sells direct to the public thought its own retail shops should move production to Asia. The demonstrations take place between:-

10.30 TO 12.30 ON

SATURDAY 18^TH NOVEMBER 2006

BURBERRY

165 REGENT STREET

LONDON

W1B 4PH

10.30 TO 12.30 ON

SATURDAY 18^TH NOVEMBER 2006

BURBERRY

21/23 NEW BOND STREET

LONDON

W1S 2RE (020 7839 5222)

Mervyn Burnett GMB Organiser said, "Burberry is as British as the changing of the guard. It was founded in 1856 and its merchandise has been manufactured in the UK since then. People buying the high quality goods produced in Treorchy expect that they will continue to be made by skilled workers in the UK.

The demonstration will be used to draw the public's attention to the fact that the British public is losing another British manufacturing institution which enjoys a Royal Warrant from the Queen and the Prince of Wales. The only reason for the proposed closure is that the company wants to move production to non union workplaces overseas where the workforce is exploited and the company can make more money as a result."

Phil Davies said, "This is a disgraceful situation where a profit making manufacturer is moving its production off-shore and over 280 skilled workers will be thrown on the scrap heap. The company has just announced profits of £75 million for the first six months to September 2006. GMB is asking Burberry's customers to support our campaign in keeping Burberry British."

-Ends-

Contact:  Mervyn Burnett, GMB Organiser on 07980 753114 or Phil Davies, GMB National Secretary on 07850 966465 or GMB Press Office: Rose Conroy on 07974 251823 or Steve Pryle on 07921 289880.

Notes to Editors:

In September 2006 Burberry management announced without consultation with GMB that they were closing the Treorchy factory at the end of 2006 with the loss of over three hundred Welsh jobs. The plan was to move the production of polo shirts to free trade zones in the developing world and to pocket the difference in wage costs onto an already profitable business. GMB launched a vigorous campaign to keep Burberry British and to maintain the jobs in Wales. The company has put back the closure date by three months to the end of March 2007. With the support of elected representatives GMB members at the plant have vowed to carry on the campaign to get the closure decision reversed.