Flooring workers ’roundly reject’ pay offer

More than 70 production workers at Forbo Flooring UK Ltd in Ripley, Derbyshire will stage the first of ten 48 hour strikes on Tuesday (October 15), after rejecting a new ‘unsatisfactory’ pay offer, Unite  said on Monday (October 14)

The workers at the High Holborn Road site rejected a slightly improved two year package backdated to 1 January 2019 and running to 31 December 2020 by a large majority today.

Unite said that a culture of staff being undervalued and disrespected hangs over this dispute.

The rejected package included in year one (2019) 2.2 per cent on basic salary and a bonus from January 1, 2019; and a one-off additional two days holiday on December 23 and 24 2019.

In year two (2020), there would have been a 2.1 per cent increase on basic salary and a bonus from  January 1, 2019.

The first 48 hour strike starting tomorrow (October 15) will be followed by 48 hour strikes on October 22 and 29. There will be 48 hour strikes starting on November 5, 12, 19 and 26. In December, the 48 hour strikes will commence on  December 3, 10 and 17. All the strikes will start just after midnight.

This will be accompanied by a continuous overtime ban commencing at just after midnight tomorrow.

Unite regional officer Cheryl Pidgeon said, “This last minute slightly improved pay package has been roundly rejected by our members and, as a result, they will be starting the first day of ten 48 hour strikes tomorrow.

“This dispute has been marred by the inconsistent treatment of all employees; bullying and harassment; and a ‘we tell you, but you do’ culture,” she added. “We offered to work constructively with the conciliation service Acas to resolve these issues, but this was firmly rejected by the company’s Swiss directors.

“We hope that tomorrow’s strike action will act like a cold shower of common sense and make these recalcitrant bosses realise that the industrial action, stretching up to Christmas, will have a dramatic and adverse impact on the company’s production schedules.

“Therefore, it is in management’s interests to sit down with Unite for meaningful negotiations – Unite’s door is open for such talks 24/7.”

Unite members voted 61 per cent for strike action and by 60 per cent for industrial action short of strike action after rejecting the original offer of a 2.2 per cent pay offer for the year starting January 1,  2019.