Amicus begins its legal battle against publishing giant
Embargoed: Monday, 5th June 2006
Amicus, Britain’s largest private sector union is
today launching a legal battle in support of its members working at
Macmillan Publishers.
Amicus has requested that the company, which employs around
1400 people in the UK, recognises the collective bargaining rights
of its workers at its distribution centre in Swansea.
Employees in the Swansea (Pontardulais) warehouse, which
employs 107 people, joined Amicus to gain the same trade union
recognition rights which are enjoyed by Macmillan employees at
other sites in London, Oxford and Basingstoke.
Union recognition law states that if more than 50% of a
workforce joins a union the company must recognise their union for
collective bargaining - the right to negotiate pay and
conditions.
Amicus Assistant General Secretary, Tony Burke, says:
"It is very disappointing that Macmillan
Publishers seem to want to disadvantage our members in Swansea by
attempting to deny them their right to trade union recognition. It
is especially confusing and frustrating to our members as other
sites around the country already have union recognition and have
done for many years now.
"Amicus representatives across Macmillan’s have been
watching this situation very closely. They have become increasingly
concerned at the company’s apparent disregard for their employees
rights."
Despite repeated attempts to contact the company both formally
and informally, Amicus is now left with no other option than to
begin a claim for statutory trade union recognition through the
Central Arbitration Committee (CAC).
Tony Burke added: "Macmillan's UK management seem
to think that by ignoring their employees requests for union rights
at Swansea the issue will go away. Their approach to this issue is
antiquated - not listening to the views of their employees is
hardly the way to deal with this very important
issue."
Amicus today delivered messages to the company’s management at
its head quarters. These messages were sent from Macmillan employee
representatives from London, Oxford and Basingstoke.
In addition messages of support have been sent from the three
German publishing works councils of the parent company,
Holtzbrinck. These messages support Amicus members in Swansea and
call on the company recognise their rights to trade union
recognition.
-ENDS-
For further information contact Tony Burke on 020 7420
8981, Jamie Major - Senior Organiser on 07879 692021 or Ashraf
Choudhury in the Amicus press office on 020 7420 8914 or 07980
224761.
