Workers employed by the outsourcing giant Mitie, working on a contract at the Vauxhall factory in Luton, will begin strike action this week in a dispute over pay.

Cleaning and other roles

The workers, who are employed in cleaning roles as well as in the jig and tool departments, are paid as little as £9 an hour, which is just nine pence above the national minimum wage.

Multimillion pound company

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Mitie is a multimillion pound company, it is shocking that workers are on such low rates of pay and it is disgraceful that the company is not currently prepared to address these issues.

“Unite’s absolute priority is the jobs, pay and conditions of its members. While the workers at Mitie at the Luton Vauxhall plant are in dispute they will be receiving the full and total support of the union.”

Strikes planned

After Mitie refused to make a pay increase anywhere approaching the workers' expectations, a strike ballot was called and the 30 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, recorded a 96 per cent vote in favour of strike action.

The first strike begins on Thursday 9 December at 22:00 and ends at 07:59 on Saturday 11 December, a further strike will begin on Thursday 16 December and ends on Saturday 18 December.

Disruption expected

Unite regional officer Andy Faughnan said: “The strike action will inevitably result in delays and disruption to car production at the Vauxhall factory but this is entirely a result of Mitie believing it can get away with paying poverty rates.

 “Even at this eleventh hour strike action could still be averted if Mitie made a dramatically improved pay offer and returned to the negotiating table.”

ENDS

During the coronavirus crisis Unite is working to keep workers and the public safe, to defend jobs and to protect incomes.

For more information please contact Unite senior communications officer Barckley Sumner on 020 3371 2067 or 07802 329235.

Email: [email protected]

Unite is the UK and Ireland’s leading union fighting to protect and advance jobs, pay and conditions for members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.