Nathaniel Erskine-Smith at the Industry, Science and Technology Committee

Thanks very much.

Thanks, Commissioner, for joining us.

At a recent grocery innovation conference, you said, “In general, communications among competitors regarding employee wages would seem to be unrelated to an effective response to the pandemic” and “I heard of such discussions with concern”, in relation to our national grocers and their cutting of pandemic pay.

I've tried to wrap my head around what could have been the rationale for those discussions. I can't think of any rationale except for collaboration to reduce employee wages specifically. Could you think of another rationale?