The first on October 25, as workers were being balloted, stated that strike action was deemed “a breach of contract,” only adding that “you are protected by law during a strike which is lawfully organised.” Unite has likewise remained silent on threatening letters received by its members from Wincanton management.
Neither does the union refer to the fact that this constitutes an attack on the rights of the entire workforce. However, there is no attempt to explain the frame-up charges or demand that they are dropped immediately. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham has stated in addition that the strike is in response to “union-busting,” accusing Wincanton of launching unjustified disciplinaries against union reps and reducing facility time to conduct union duties. We’re only asking for the rise we deserve.”
#ACTION STRINGS FREE#
Summing up the rejection of the Dickensian levels of exploitation which have been allowed to flourish, an anonymous worker at the distribution centre told the Worksop Guardian, “We’ve worked all way through COVID-19 and received nothing but a free slice of pizza and a bacon cob. B&Q sells DIY products and garden furniture but was exempted from the lockdown last March as an “essential business.” These problems have intensified during the pandemic as both B&Q and Wincanton racked up profits. The strike will be the first at the Worksop distribution centre since it opened in 2005, despite its long history of low wages and poor conditions. Its statement also fails to address basic facts of the dispute like the miserly character of the company’s pay offers, or the poverty-level pay and heavy exploitation endured by workers at the site. But Unite does not present a concrete pay demand. The union’s November 10 press release on the strike states that Worksop depot workers members expect “a pay rise that reflects the rising cost of living”-inflation is now topping 6 percent. The basic hourly rate for a shopfloor worker is just £9.96 an hour, not even a pound above the current minimum wage of £8.91 due to be uplifted next April to £9.50. The 4 percent offer, tabled again without strings attached, was subsequently rejected by 88 percent of the workforce. Unite countered that it had already agreed this concession. Unite has dragged out negotiations with Wincanton throughout the year, keeping the initiative with the company and allowing it to come back with one insulting pay offer after another, starting at 2 percent, then revised to 4 percent with the demand that workers lose their first three days of sick pay. B & Q Distribution Centre and wind turbine in Worksop (Credit: cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Chris - /p/3638930)
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