HARRODS has become the first employer to threaten workers with the Tories’ new strike-busting legislation, Unite said at the weekend.

The union said about 150 staff at the world-famous luxury department store in central London began voting in a strike ballot after receiving a “pay cut disguised as a rise.” 

The employees, who work in store services, engineering, maintenance and security, have rejected a 5 per cent offer, noting that it falls well short of the soaring rate of inflation. 

The store, owned by the oil-rich state of Qatar, threatened to bring in temporary agency staff to complete “duties normally performed by a worker who is on strike,” according to an internal company letter sent to employees last Monday, Unite said.

Such action is now legal after Tory ministers, spooked by a rising wave of industrial action, amended the Conduct of Employment Agencies & Employment Business Regulations last month.

Harrods’ main entrance in Knightsbridge will be picketed if the ballot, open until September 1, is successful, Unite warned. 

General secretary Sharon Graham said that the store’s “attempts to use this new legislation to bully our members doesn’t change a thing.

“Our members at Harrods will receive the full backing of the union in their fight for a fair pay rise.”

A store spokesperson said it was disappointed by the ballot, claiming that it involves a very small number of staff.

“Our base pay rates are very competitive and the [latest] pay rise will ensure this remains the case.”

Guaranteeing that Harrods is properly staffed is vital for customer experience and staff safety, the spokesperson said, adding that the use of temporary workers is “not our preferred course of action. 

“That is why we are urging Unite to work with us to resolve this matter.”