{"id":20877,"date":"2020-04-21T12:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T11:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=20877"},"modified":"2020-04-21T16:54:47","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T15:54:47","slug":"unite-winning-for-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=20877","title":{"rendered":"Unite winning for workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Great news just in (April 21) has seen Unite save hundreds of Adecco agency workers from redundancy at world-renowned luxury car manufacturer Bentley Motors.<\/p>\n

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Earlier this month, around 200 agency workers based at Bentley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s site in\u00c2\u00a0Crewe were told they were being made redundant by Adecco,\u00c2\u00a0while the car manufacturer began temporarily ceasing production because of the coronavirus health crisis.<\/p>\n

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Fierce intervention<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But a fierce intervention from Unite reversed Adecco\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0decision and the agency workers have now been put into the government’s job retention scheme on 80 per cent of their pay.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA soon as Unite was informed that Adecco was planning to make workers redundant, the union exerted maximum pressure and we are very pleased the employment agency has now agreed to use the government’s furlough scheme,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 reported Unite regional officer, Julie Burgess.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn these unprecedented times it’s imperative that employers behave responsibly and use the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scheme wherever possible. Because these agency workers had union recognition, Unite was able to intervene and negotiate a fairer outcome,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added.<\/p>\n

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Plastic fantastic<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more good news for Warrington-based\u00c2\u00a0Plastic Omnium workers as they are furloughed on 100 per cent pay thanks to Unite.<\/p>\n

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Under the job retention scheme, workers\u00c2\u00a0can\u00c2\u00a0receive 80 per cent of their wages from the government up to a maximum of \u00c2\u01412,500 per month.\u00c2\u00a0Unite welcomed the agreement with the vehicle components supplier in which Plastic Omnium\u00c2\u00a0 will meet the cost of\u00c2\u00a0an\u00c2\u00a0additional 20 per cent for\u00c2\u00a0around 150 full-time workers to bring them up to\u00c2\u00a0100 per cent of pay.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is an excellent deal for the workforce at Plastic Omnium in Warrington\u00c2\u00a0which supplies JLR in Halewood,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 commented Unite regional officer Julie Burgess. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt shows what’s possible where there is a strong union in the workplace and a company that is prepared to take their responsibilities to\u00c2\u00a0staff seriously.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Fast track furlough payment to save jobs call<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile in the UK’s aviation sector Unite is calling on the government to fast-track an initial furlough payment for workers operating flights for Norwegian airline to save jobs.<\/p>\n

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On April 20 it was announced that some of the European subsidiaries of low-cost airline Norwegian\u00c2\u00a0were entering into administration. While this does not apply to the UK operation the company also simultaneously terminated its arrangements with employment agency OSM, which employs around 1,200 workers on Norwegian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s UK operations.<\/p>\n

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Unite has already held meetings with OSM, which says it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s committed to preserving jobs but in order to do so it needs to receive a furlough payment from the government this week before its monthly pay date (April 25) to pay the workers and avoid facing further uncertainty.<\/p>\n

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OSM and Unite believe that provided the workers are successfully paid under the furlough regime, jobs can be preserved for the long-term with a substantial base being retained at Gatwick airport.<\/p>\n

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Work is currently being undertaken in Norwegian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s host country of Norway to restructure the business. Provided this is successful, the UK operation will be viable once the pandemic crisis has ended.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite is working closely with OSM to preserve jobs and to ensure that there is a sustainable base for Norwegian at Gatwick airport in the long-term,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite regional officer Claire Simpson said.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe aviation sector has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic but it can and will have a viable future provided it gets the immediate support from the government.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNorwegian is a core part of Gatwick airport and securing the long-term future of these workers is vital for the airports long term well-being and the prosperity of the local economy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added.<\/p>\n

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