Pay Up! pickets over employment poverty wages

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Pay Up! protesters hold up their large banner outside a Sainsbury's Local on Fetter Lane. The banner mimics Sainsbury's current ad. Campaign slogan "Sainsbury's - Try Something New Today", and adds "Pay a Living Wage".

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Two City of London police block the entrance of a Sainsbury's Local supermarket to stop any more Pay Up! protesters getting inside, where several activists with a megaphone and horns had already gained access.

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Sainsbury's corporate headquarters security personnel push back a Pay Up! activist waving a placard and blowing a plastic horn during their Living Wage protest in Holborn.

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A Pay Up! activist holds aloft a makeshift cardboard placard as the protesters assembled outside Holborn Underground Station for their debut Pay a Living Wage protest outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn.

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A City of London Police officer winces as a Pay Up! protester blows his plastic horn in his ear outside a Sainsbury's Local supermarket on Fetter Lane during the Pay a Living Wage protest.

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Pay Up! activists gathered outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn where they held their debut Pay a Living Wage protest.

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Pay Up! activists hold up a large banner outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn where they held their first Pay a Living Wage protest.

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A Pay Up! activist shouts slogans through a megaphone outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn during their Pay a Living Wage protest.

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A Pay Up! activist enjoying the moment during their Pay a Living Wage protest outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn.

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A Sainsbury's corporate headquarters security manager stares at a Pay Up! activist during their Pay a Living Wage protest as he blows a plastic horn and shouts slogans.

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An activist's hands grip the top of a large banner outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn during Pay Up's Pay a Living Wage protest.

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Three pairs of activists' legs poke out below their large banner during the Pay Up! campaign's Pay a Living Wage protest outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn.

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A Sainsbury's security manager pushes a Pay Up! activist backwards during the noisy Pay a Living Wage protest outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn.

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Pay Up! campaigners with placards and an air-horn, shouting slogans during their Pay a Living Wage protest outside the Sainsbury's Local supermarket on Fetter Lane.

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A Pay Up! activist shouts slogans through a megaphone outside a Sainsbury's Local supermarket on Fetter Lane, EC4 during their Pay a Living Wage protest.

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City of London Police officers receiving orders outside the Sainsbury Local on Fetter Lane as it is picketed by Act Up! activists who blocked the front door with their large banner during their Pay a Living Wage protest.

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Sainsbury's security personnel tell Pay Up! campaigners during their Pay a Living Wage protest they will be trespassing if they step over the line of brass studs set in the pavement outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters on Holborn.

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A protester with her red air-horn chats to a friend outside Holborn Underground Station where the Pay Up! activists assembled prior to their Pay a Living Wage protest, targetting Sainsbury's corporate headquarters and a Sainsbury's Local supermarket.

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A Sainsbury's security manager points out the property boundary studs to a City of London police officer outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters during Pay Up's "Pay a Living Wage" protest, demanding the police keep the activists beyond the line.

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In line with the latest Spanish protest method of banging pots and pans at protests, a Pay Up! campaigner during their Pay a Living Wage protest outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters beats a pan lid with a stick as she protests.

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A PayUp! campaigner during their Pay a Living Wage protest sits on the ground outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters on Holborn holding up his placard as he tells a City of London police officer that he does not intend moving voluntarily.

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City of London Police order the "Pay a Living Wage" protesters from new campaign group Pay Up! to walk their banner down the pavement to allow customers access to the front entrance of the Sainsbury's Local on Fetter Lane.

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A Pay Up! activist holds a small placard as he stands beside a City of London Police officer outside Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn during their Pay a Living Wage protest.

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Pay Up! activists march along High Holborn to their first "Pay a Living Wage" campaign target - A Sainsbury's Local on nearby Fetter Lane.

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A new direct-action protest group "Pay Up!" launched itself by picketing Sainsbury's corporate headquarters in Holborn over low wages which leaves many employees unable to pay housing costs, forcing them to claim benefits to survive.

Formed by activists from UK Uncut, Occupy, Unite the Union and community organisations, Pay Up, which plans to go national as quickly as possible, chose Sainsbury's to launch their campaign against "employment poverty" which sees thousands of Sainsbury's shop-floor employees being paid only the UK minimum wage which amounts to £6.08p per hour for over-21s, £4.98p for 18-20s and £3.68p for 16-17 yrs old school leavers. These employees, say Pay Up, should be receiving the nationally recognised "Living Wage" of £7.20 per hour in the regions, and £8.30p in London.

Sainsbury's has seen profit's rise 299% over the past 7 years, whilst their workers on low pay have been forced to accept a pay freeze which, in the face of current inflation, is effectively a wage cut, and a huge number of Sainsbury's full and part-time staff are having to apply for housing benefits and other benefits just to survive, despite the retail grocery giant posting year-end profits for 2011 of £712 million - a 7% increase on 2010, despite the double-dip recession.

It is outrageous, say Pay Up, that some Sainsbury's employees are so badly paid that they are forced to drain the benefits system just to survive, whilst Sainsbury's are turning a huge profit and are planning to increase core spending in 2012-2013 to £1bn and also to increase payouts to their stockholders. The company boasted disingenuously last week that their employees "will receive on average a £600 bonus", which translates to as little as £49 for many employees who are denied enough working hours to sustain a basic living. The overwhelming bulk of the bonus pot will go to the already-well paid managers and directors.