The Rail Maritime and Transport union warned of a knock-on effect which could hit road freight and other transport jobs.
General secretary Bob Crow said: "If an enterprise the size of Woolworths is allowed to collapse, it will be a disaster for its employees, but it will have a domino effect which will also threaten jobs in the transport and road freight sector and way beyond. We have 300 members working for Wincanton under contract to Woolworths whose jobs are under immediate threat, but there will be thousands more if there is not direct intervention.
"The government has spent billions of taxpayers' pounds on shoring up the bankers and credit merchants whose greed caused the credit crisis, and ordinary working people have the right to expect direct intervention to save the real economy.
"The government has broken a taboo by nationalising banks, and if they can put financial institutions under state control, then it must surely be right to take whatever steps are necessary to stop the real economy melting down."
His comments came as administrators continued to sift through the wreckage of Woolworths.
Deloitte is seeking a buyer and has received approaches from `a number of parties' over the 813-store chain and the firm's E.UK wholesaling arm.
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Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (28/11/2008 at 10:17)
Woolworths collapsed because, despite being a much loved brand, its management didn't have a clue how to bring it into the 21st Century. It should not be the duty of governemnts to prop up crappy companies unless their loss has a devastating effect on the whole economy. If the banks had collapsed we would not have had the cash to spend in ANY shops.
The loss of 300 jobs is always unwelcome, but you need to consider the amount fo jobs created by companies that have taken Woolworths place in the market.
Supermarkets, Smiths, Toys R Us Rymans, Game, Primark etc will have taken on employees as they took market share of Woolworths.
What about the jobs created in Home Delivery that come from another place where Woolworths has failed to respond properly.
Is he genuinely suggesting we nationalise Woolworths - Socialism gone mad. Utter tosh & piffle.
A Realist, Manchester (28/11/2008 at 11:30)
Last Pint of Holts, Middleton Manchester (28/11/2008 at 12:13)
Its a private business and a dinosaur that hasn’t modernised. That’s why it has gone under!
We would still have a car industry if these union buffoons had done some work instead of standing around a brazier complaining they have to work more than 4 hours per day!
An anachronism. Send the unions back to the 70's where they belong!
Andy, Wythenshawe (30/11/2008 at 22:20)
If it wasn't for the fact that we would all suffer ..., I'd gladly get rid of the unions just to see you forced to work like slaves.
Rt Hon Dr Rev MC Spanner MP QC FCA FRICS JP OK (01/12/2008 at 13:28)
The unions have a role and I don't doubt their historic value, but to nationlise a poorly run business like this defies belief