Shropshire Fights Back demonstrates outside Starbucks in Shrewsbury

The protest will gather outside the Starbucks shop in the Square, between 11:30am– 1pm, to draw attention to Starbucks’ behaviour and to provide information and encouragement to people who want to protest about cuts in services.

Jayne McDermott, of Shropshire Fights Back, says “The focus of this campaign nationally is the effect of cuts on services, especially those women depend on – so there are plans to set up refuges and crèches in branches of Starbucks all around the country.”

Starbucks is now reported to be in negotiation with HMRC to find a way to declare enough profit in the UK to pay enough tax to satisfy HMRC. Last year their UK revenue was £398m but they paid no UK tax at all. Starbucks, along with many major international companies, reduce their UK tax payments to paltry sums or even zero.

Steve Bradfield, from Shrewsbury, puts it simply: “The senior executives of these big companies get richly rewarded for their efforts – efforts which they and everyone else knows lead directly to social cuts and hardship in the UK. The Cats get fatter as the Cuts get deeper – and people have had enough of it!” It is possible that Starbucks staff will join in protests because their terms and conditions are being eroded. Recent reports suggest that around 7000 staff face immediate cuts to sick leave and maternity benefits, and the removal of a paid lunch-break.

Shropshire Fights Back activists plan to gather and protest outside the Starbucks in the Square, and set up a women’s refuge. One prominent visitor to the protest, arriving around 11.30am, will be Bishop Mark Rylands, the Bishop of Shrewsbury. Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty have been campaigning all over the UK since late August – touring for nearly two months in a campaign bus to raise awareness of the need for Tax Justice.