Unilever staff strike for pensions
Article published: Monday, December 12th 2011
Striking Unilever workers shut down the Manchester factory which packages PG Tips and Brooke Bond tea last week as part of a national dispute to defend pensions. Thousands of employees took part in the walkout, prompting the company to retaliate by cancelling Christmas parties and staff bonuses.
Thursday’s night shift at the Trafford site were the first in Manchester to walk out as part of an unprecedented national one day strike of over 2,000 workers at twelve sites. “I have worked here for 37 years and we have never had a strike before” explained Sheena Mitchel, one of the senior trade union stewards from Unite the Union speaking at the picket line in Trafford Park.
Nevertheless, Mitchel noted support for the action: “There are 250 people working here, but only one worker and one of the casual staff have gone in tonight. We have over twenty five on the picket line.” Strikers in Manchester picketed for 14 hours and Unilever sites across the country were hit by walkouts halting the production of the global giant’s leading brands including Marmite, Pot Noodle and Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
The dispute was spurred by Unilever’s intention to close its workers’ final salary pension scheme, which unions say will slice 40 per cent from retiring members’ incomes and cost thousands of pounds to people who had been with the company for decades.
High profits, squeezed pensions
In a statement to the press, Unilever argued final salary pensions were “a broken model” which was “no longer appropriate”, saying “it is our responsibility to protect the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of our UK business.” The company remains awash with cash however, having just increased full year profits by 18 per cent to £5.2 billion. Chief Executive Paul Polman even recently boasted to the BBC that “growth is the highest we’ve seen in 30 years. It’s coming from across the world.”
Trade unions Unite, USDAW and GMB participated and more industrial action is expected in the New Year. The walkouts came just weeks after public sector workers also defending their pensions took part in the largest strikes in decades, and car manufacturers BMW also look set to face stoppages in upcoming months unless the company stops plans to close its pension scheme to new starters and ends the use legal loop-holes to deny agency staff equal pay.
The Manchester picket lines received support from health and council workers. Caroline Ridgeway, a local joint branch secretary for the public sector trade union Unison, said “we were well received on the picket line. What they are fighting for is the same as what we are fighting for – our pensions.”
Unison’s national executive declared support for the Unilever strikes last week and Unite have declared that, where possible, future strikes will be co-ordinated to ensure public and private sector workers take action on the same day.
Mark Krantz
More: Manchester, News, Unions and workplace
Comments
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Its great to see workers defending hard-won rights.It begs the question, though, why is the Labour party to which UNITE has contributed millions of pounds not supporting public and private sector strikes in defence of pensions?
Comment by Michael Herbert on December 13, 2011 at 12:29 pm
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