Workers To Strike In Pensions Row
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 22nd September 2005.
Workers at the Grampian Foods factory will down tools tomorrow for a 24 hour strike over changes made to their company pension scheme.
Around a thousand workers at Grampian Foods have voted by a margin of three to two to strike to defend their final salary pensions.
The first action will be taken tomorrow at the largest English site at Little Wratting from 5pm. The dispute centres on controversial plans to end the final salary pension scheme at Grampian.
The Transport and General Workers Union warned the company that the action could spread to plants in Scotland and Wales causing supermarket shelf supplies to suffer.
"This is a company that is tampering with pensions which is unjust, unfair and unwarranted. Our members are very clear that they mean to defend their pensions and stand up for their right to what is, after all their money. In spite of the pressure they have tried to exert on our people, Grampian cannot claim to be surprised by this result." said Chris Kaufman, T & G national secretary.
He said the thousand workers covering Haverhill, two sites in Scotland, and two in Wales have also voted by a marging of three to one in favour of taking industrial action short of a strike.
The T & G has argued that the cuts are arbitrary and that the company has failed to give adequate information as to why the scheme should end.
Earlier deadlines were delayed after union pressure but over the summer the company dug its heels in and insisted the changes go ahead prompting the T & G to reafirm its belief that the cuts programme was being forced through to deliver a stock market flotation with all the rewards that would flow to a small group of share holders and directors.
A spokesman for Grampian reiterated its earlier comment on the dispute: "Grampian remains committed to providing a pension scheme for all its employees to ensure financial security at retirement."
Around a thousand workers at Grampian Foods have voted by a margin of three to two to strike to defend their final salary pensions.
The first action will be taken tomorrow at the largest English site at Little Wratting from 5pm. The dispute centres on controversial plans to end the final salary pension scheme at Grampian.
The Transport and General Workers Union warned the company that the action could spread to plants in Scotland and Wales causing supermarket shelf supplies to suffer.
"This is a company that is tampering with pensions which is unjust, unfair and unwarranted. Our members are very clear that they mean to defend their pensions and stand up for their right to what is, after all their money. In spite of the pressure they have tried to exert on our people, Grampian cannot claim to be surprised by this result." said Chris Kaufman, T & G national secretary.
He said the thousand workers covering Haverhill, two sites in Scotland, and two in Wales have also voted by a marging of three to one in favour of taking industrial action short of a strike.
The T & G has argued that the cuts are arbitrary and that the company has failed to give adequate information as to why the scheme should end.
Earlier deadlines were delayed after union pressure but over the summer the company dug its heels in and insisted the changes go ahead prompting the T & G to reafirm its belief that the cuts programme was being forced through to deliver a stock market flotation with all the rewards that would flow to a small group of share holders and directors.
A spokesman for Grampian reiterated its earlier comment on the dispute: "Grampian remains committed to providing a pension scheme for all its employees to ensure financial security at retirement."
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