Update: military range dispute continues

Strike action continues at two military ranges in Kent, as 80 workers employed by Landmarc prepare to walk out tomorrow in an ongoing dispute over safety, staffing cuts and pay reductions.
Unite’s members working for Landmarc, which include range wardens, technicians, administrators and estate workers, are particularly concerned about the ranges being run by service personnel, who aren’t properly trained.
Unite’s members fear it will be only a matter of time before a fatality occurs if the ranges aren’t run by professional range wardens, who’ve endured staffing and pay cuts.
The striking members will be taking action from 7:00 to 13:00 tomorrow, and also on November 25, when the ranges are fully booked, in order to cause maximum disruption.
The dispute also concerns their employer refusing to recognise their TUPE terms and conditions, after Landmarc was awarded a new contract by the Ministry of Defence.
As UNITElive reported last month when the dispute began, Landmarc had put in the lowest possible bid to secure the new five-year contract, because it had feared losing out to the contract it had held for over a decade.
“Landmarc has made a number of detrimental decisions regarding the new contract it was awarded from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and expects Unite members to simply accept them,” said lead officer for members Bob Middleton.
“We are not prepared to accept any change to the terms and conditions of our members which has an impact on their safety at work and reduces their salary,” Middleton added. “Landmarc has already dismissed our members on their recognised terms and conditions with a view to reemploying them on lesser pay and conditions.”
Unite had previously written to the MoD HR department asking for the contract to be reviewed, particularly with respect to the alarming health concerns raised by the handover of running the ranges to service personnel.