Marks And Spencer, Unions and Cyber Warfare

February 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment

SAYS the Times: “Unite hails cyber warfare victory over M&S.”

Britain’s biggest private sector union was hailing a big victory in its battle against Marks & Spencer today after using “cyber warfare” to attack the high street retailer over workers’ rights.

Unite revealed that an internet advertisement highlighting its list of greviances had received more than 12,000 hits in only six hours — more than 30 a minute.

The union is effectively hijacking searches for M&S on Google, the internet search engine.

Anyone typing “M&S” or a list of variations into Google will see a direct link to the Look Behind the Label campaign put together by the T&G section of Unite, alongside normal search results.

Freedom of information:

The cost to the union could be as little as £500, with the ultimate bill depending on how many people click on the link.

Tony Woodley, the Unite joint general secretary, told The Times yesterday: “The power of the internet gives unions the potential to go beyond its membership and reach out directly to millions of people and influence consumers.”

He’s right, of course…

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Posted by PaulS | Filed Under Blog, Campaigns