Starbucks ordered to rehire workers it had fired in the US, compensate others affected

Starbucks illegally fired six workers in New York state while pursuing a pushback against unions, a US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge ruled. The judge said that the leading coffee chaincommitted "egregious and widespread" violations of federal labour law at its stores in cities of Buffalo and Rochester in the United States.

Starbucks has been told to rehire the workers it fired. The leading coffee chain has also been orderedto compensate others who were affected.

Starbucks, while clarifying its now legally sanctioned actions, said that what it did waslawful and in line with policies.

"We believe the decision and the remedies ordered are inappropriate given the record in this matter and are considering all options to obtain further legal review," Starbucks was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The NLRB is an independent federal agency in the United States. It has the legal mandateto safeguard employees' rights to unionise at their workplaces.

Michael Sanabria, a Starbucks barista in Buffalo, told media that the ruling was "such a massive win for us, and for the labour movement as a whole."

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"The decision results from months of tireless organising by workers... demanding better working conditions in the face of historical, monumental, and now deemed illegal union-busting," Michelle Eisen, a barista at another Starbucks location in Buffalo, was quoted as saying by the BBC.

At around 270 Starbucks stores across the US, workers voted to join unions. Starbucks, however, opposed the move.

Starbucks has around 9,000 company-owned stores in the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)

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