GMB has warned that the frigate manufacturing programme at BAE Systems on the Upper Clyde could be stalled by strike action next week, unless conciliation talks with subcontractor firm Wincanton deliver an improved pay offer for 50 store operatives.
Ahead of a planned 24-hour strike from 6am on 19 October, union reps will attend ACAS this Monday seeking to end a "two-tier pay structure" among the staff who distribute trades and safety equipment to workers at the Govan and Scotstoun yards.
A pay gap of over £4 an hour exists, with majority of subcontractors currently paid just £9.90 an hour, while a dozen staff previously transferred from BAE Systems are paid more than £14 an hour. GMB is calling on Wincanton to equalise the hourly rate and the value of this year’s pay offer for all staff.
Over 95% of members previously voted to support strikes against the pay policy in a full statutory industrial action ballot.
GMB Scotland organiser Dominic Pritchard warned: “A stores strike will mean shipbuilders won’t have the tools and PPE to do their jobs, so manufacturing on the warships that Britain needs will stall unless Wincanton and BAE value our members fairly and better for the work they do.
“The frigate programme is worth billions and vital to our future security, but it is an affront to UK shipbuilding that we have workers receiving less than £10 an hour while supporting large-scale defence projects.
“Compounding the problem is the fact that Wincanton and BAE Systems have knowingly allowed this pay gap to fester between store operatives doing the same job when both firms could easily afford to lift-up wages for everyone.
“These workers are struggling to stay above the breadline in the grip of this cost-of-living crisis, so if the employers want to avoid a strike next week, they must table fresh proposals that will tackle the in-work poverty and pay inequality facing our members.”
A BAE Systems spokesperson said: “This is a matter for Wincanton and its workforce.
“We have made temporary arrangements to ensure that there is no impact to our activities should the strike action take place next week.“
A spokesperson from Wincanton commented: “We value the vital work our colleagues carry out every day and the offer we have put forward is fair and competitive.
“We remain committed to finding a resolution that satisfies all parties.”
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