A leading European retail executive has told how she has prioritised fairness for front line workers as she addressed an audience at Humber Business Week in Hull.
Debbie Robinson, the Central Co-op chief executive and European vice president of Euro Co-ops, also rejected talk of “levelling up” and said what the North needs is to get its fair share back.
She said: “When I hear that the Bank of England are worried that an increase in the minimum wage is going to impact inflation it’s just ridiculous so the pay thing is crucial. It’s got to be significantly higher than where it is today.
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“I think people are a bit fed up at the moment. When you’ve got your nurses and your doctors and your rail strikes going on it’s a strong indication that people have had enough. Something I really believe in is pay and entry-level workers, and we just need to pay people a bit more money to help them through. Central Co-op is trying to lead the way on finding ways that we can improve the terms and conditions for all of our colleagues.
“You should be able to earn the money to buy your own food. I don’t think anybody down the food chain should be supplementing it for anybody else. If somebody isn’t being paid enough to put food on your table how are they going to be able to afford food? Surely people deserve to earn enough money to be able to buy their own food, heat their own homes and have a decent life? Make work pay!”
Debbie added that she sees young people as particularly hard hit by the cost-of-living crisis.
She said: “The idea behind the Co-op was that people were working really, really hard and they couldn’t get by. Does it sound familiar? Here we are in 2023. Working was not enough to pay for your food and your housing.
“My heart bleeds for young people. It might have been difficult in terms of unemployment in the Seventies and the Eighties, and it really was, but the challenges now are absolutely immense.”
Debbie was the focus of Hull business leader Paul Sewell OBE’s latest Elevenses interview, conducted for Humber Business Week. The Sewell Group chair had met her during a retail industry visit to Japan and South Korea.
During the interview, which is available to watch in full here, Burnley-born Debbie demonstrated how her career decisions have been influenced by her childhood and her role as a mother and grandmother.
She also underlined the values of fairness which inspired the Co-op even before its formal launch in 1863 and which are still at the heart of an organisation employing over 7,500 people across 21 counties.
Debbie also demanded fair treatment for workers from their customers, revealing that her biggest fear is for the welfare of her team.
She said: “Now times are really hard financially and the levels of abuse that people are facing in that environment are really shocking. I think of what people have to face every single day. Everybody has a right to go to work and return home safely.”
Living in Manchester, she said she feels a sense of relief when she returns from the travels which are a big part of her job. “When I see the motorway sign for the north I think ‘thank heavens!’ she said. “It seems to get greener and brighter! I don’t think we take ourselves too seriously. There’s a lot more spirit and energy here but I do think the infrastructure needs to be addressed.
“Social mobility is really important. The ability to move, to see different places, access different things whether that’s work, whether it’s education, are really important. Rather than levelling up I call it our fair share. That’s actually what I’d like, for the north to have its fair share back.”
She reflected on her “idyllic upbringing” as an adopted child and on the independence and determination which followed difficulties at school.
She said: “I used to run errands and maybe that’s partly where the love of retail came from. I knew to check the date on the butter, always go to the back of the fridge, never get the one from the front.
“Nobody had a lot in those days but you knew some people had a bit more than you did. I’m not a very materialistic person but I did see how having the right things in the right location was really important and if you didn’t you could feel held back whether you were or not.
“I didn’t find school easy academically but I loved sport. I was bullied. I was ginger, freckles, but I was able to run fast and that was handy when you were skinny and ginger from Burnley.”
Debbie spoke at length about the balancing act around bringing up children while pursuing her career and other interests – she’s completed the last 20 London Marathons.
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