In March I posted here about how shareholder activism was increasing and campaigns were being orchestrated by groups such as Share Action (a group backed by charities and trade unions). After recent activist successes against the likes of Tesco and Unilever, activists had eyed an opportunity to force a resolution on Sainsburys which called on it to pay the so-called real living wage to all staff and to third party contractors such as security guards and cleaners.

As Share Action report... it is now crunch time as the resolution is on the table at the upcoming AGM this week... whether it will be passed remains to be seen... there are clearly investors in favour of and against the resolution.

If the resolution is passed it will surely give even more momentum to future activist campaigns in which we can expect to see a greater investor focus on a whole raft of ESG issues (including climate change). In these challenging times, it is important for both companies and individuals to be aware of the rights of the shareholders and how they might work in practice. The march of the activist shareholders may well become a stampede!