More than pay

Strike action at Defence Support Group (DSG) intensifies today, Monday December 8, as workers start a 10 day strike at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) facilities.

Over 800 Unite members will take part in the longest strike in the group’s history in a conflict over a one per cent pay rise.

This strike is about more than pay though as the department is set to be sold in to the private sector in 2015.

“As the DSG is fattened up to be privatised, workers who support our armed forces have had pay cuts in real terms of nearly 18 per cent,” said Mike McCartney, Unite national officer.

The latest round of action at the group, which maintains repairs and overhauls military equipment for the MoD, follows six days of solid strike action on October and November.

“The DSG is a cash rich organisation which can well afford a decent pay rise for its staff. Management should be under no illusion of the resolve of our members as this latest action, which is the longest in the group’s history, demonstrates,” added McCartney.

The sell-off of the DSG was heralded by the coalition’s 2010 strategic defence review, but the process has been dogged by the issue of third party intellectual property rights.

“Any backlogs in repairs and maintenance of key military equipment sit squarely with DSG management who need to get back around the negotiating table to hammer out a fair pay deal,” Mike added.

The main sites affected by the latest walkout are Bovington (Dorset), Catterick (North Yorkshire), Colchester, Donnington (Shropshire), Striling, Sealand (North Wales) and Warminster (Wiltshire).