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Workers at a British weapons plant that provides missiles to Ukraine are to stage a two-week strike after accusing the Ministry of Defence of breaking a pledge to keep vital pay talks.
The GMB trade union mentioned on Thursday that nearly 50 team who tackle Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles assembled at an MoD munitions plant at Beith in Ayrshire would ride on strike from Monday.
The union suspended its plans to stage that strike in mid-August after the MoD agreed to talks at the conciliation provider Acas nonetheless union leaders mentioned they did so beneath false pretences and in unhealthy faith.
There used to be no substantive offer, mentioned Chris Kennedy, a GMB Scotland organiser. “We had been assured decision-makers would be arriving with positive proposals to unravel this dispute nonetheless they didn’t and there wasn’t,” he added.
“There used to be nothing new to deliver about and nothing new to take lend a hand to our members. If the MoD used to be urged this used to be how to proceed, it used to be badly urged.
“It used to be, no doubt, an negate in unhealthy faith and disrespect and has easiest hardened our members’ determination to true comely pay. They get hold of now not need to strike nonetheless were given no alternative.”
The strike is a vital escalation of a simmering dispute between the GMB’s members at Beith and the Defence Equipment & Help (DE&S) agency – the MoD agency that handles the armed forces’s provides, gear and weapons – over their pay and bonuses. In June and July, it staged a handful of one-day stoppages, the principle in the agency’s history.
The GMB estimates its members, who tackle, load and transport the missiles, are up to £18,000 a yr worse off than the specialist team who assemble them. Those expert “craft” workers were given pay and bonuses increases to stop them leaving for better-paid private sector jobs.
Their marketing campaign for better pay won the reinforce from trade union leaders and opposition politicians in Ukraine, and from the Scottish National party. The GMB mentioned the plant’s craft workers had signed a petition backing the pay demands from their non-craft colleagues.
The MoD mentioned it had contingency plans in status to minimise disruption and mentioned the strike would private no attain on missile deliveries to Ukraine.
In August, the MoD implied it may perchance presumably make a greater offer in the Acas talks.
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“We’re referring this dispute to Acas’s conciliation provider, which is ready to support us discover attainable alternatives that we are able to agree on to gain a decision,” the MoD mentioned in mid-August. “Here’s a voluntary job and is a clear measure of our willingness and intent to engage constructively and productively with GMB to unravel this situation.”
It claimed on Thursday that it had made a comely offer to the strikers. “DE&S management has attach forward an offer which may presumably greatly reinforce the pay of the staff in dispute in a sustainable and affordable ability,” a spokesperson mentioned. “[As] with all employers, workers are paid in a different way relying on grade to boot to the nature of their operate.”
Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland’s secretary, mentioned: “All americans brings a entire lot of skills to their work and that wishes to be recognised nonetheless the operate of our members is fundamental to the efficient operation of this main location.
“They are easiest asking for equity and the reinforce they’ve from Scotland to Ukraine shows why they deserve it.”