Dave Murray, Basildon Socialist Party
Production workers at CNH tractor plant in Basildon have suspended industrial action pending the result of a ballot on an improved pay offer.
After ten hours of wrangling on Monday 10 June, the company has offered 5.5% – short of the 7.5% indicated by the three-year deal previously agreed, but an advance on the original offer. Action gets results.
However, the company effectively used blackmail to get the stewards to put the offer to ballot, threatening to withdraw the deal and refusing to put the offer to a workplace vote.
Probably they recognise the strength of feeling in a workforce which has mounted a solid three weeks of industrial action, among which many are arguing strongly for escalation.
In addition are issues such as respect and dignity at work, and rewriting an outdated grading structure.
The company is swimming in money, making 60,000 euro profit per employee on average, paying its CEO a multimillion bonus, and indulging its owners with a billion euro share buy-back.
Unite members need to keep this in mind, reject the offer, and press on with industrial action.
