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Unilever
strike: "This is their answer today"
12 December
Reports from picket lines at Port Sunlight, Warrington and
Gwent
PORT SUNLIGHT
There were three picket lines at the
Unilever plants in Port Sunlight on Friday (actually from Thursday evening). The
picket lines were well supported, about 80 pickets at 7:30 in the morning, in
the birth place of the company.
As pickets pointed out Port Sunlight was built as a model village by the Levers
brother to house the workers at their soap factory. However the days of the
‘liberal patrician’ factory owner are long gone. Nowadays Unilever operates from
a tax haven and is motivated by greed alone.
Discussions on the picket were warm and welcoming; and the common struggle for
decent pension in the public and private sector was clearly recognised – a
number had visited a local PCS picket on November 30th. There was a
determination not to lose this struggle.
There was a debate whether to have strikes on the same day as the public sector,
or whether that risks drowning out their struggle – after all the Government and
media don’t want to spoil their myth that its about ‘gold plated’ pensions.
What also came across clearly was that if we don’t struggle – all of us – they
will continue to attack us. Today Pensions. Tomorrow Pay and Sick Pay.
Port Sunlight has long been the heart of Levers Brothers/Unilever. Today Port
Sunlight was the heart of workers fighting back.
WARRINGTON
More than 60 pickets from Unite and GMB trade unions were outside the Unilever
factory in the centre Warrington. One of the union stewards spoke to a supporter
of the NSSN.
"There's about 250 people work at this site, union membership must be about 95%.
There are about 2,500 out on strike across the country today"
The negotiations have been going on for 3 or 4 months but the company have
resolutely refused to climb down from their decision to axe the final salary
pension scheme in favour of career average.
"The effect will be to cut between 20 and 40% off the members' pensions,
depending on their age. Your existing pension gets frozen, and the rest is
career average. After the negotiations with the unions broke down the company
tried to carry on with the 'staff council' which represents non-union members.
Well this is their answer today" he said, gesturing at the strikers gathered
with their Unite and GMB flags.
CROESPENMAEN
Unilever’s Pot Noodle mine came to a grinding halt today as the entire shop
floor workforce at Unilever’s Croespenmaen factory near Crumlin in Gwent walked
out on strike. Most of the workers are supporting the picket today and even
agency workers in the factory have refused to cross picket lines.
Only management, office workers (who have not been balloted) and security staff
were in the factory. Management has been forced to send out the head of security
every so often to complain about the number of pickets and where they are
standing. Such a pathetic attempt at harassment has merely amused the workers
who are in high spirits.
There was a lot of support for the public sector workers action last week in
defence of their pensions schemes and support for the idea of co-ordinating
their action with public sector workers. If Unilever does not withdraw its
attempt to close down the final salary pension scheme then further action is
planned for January which could easily be co-ordinated with a public sector
pensions strike. “We need a general strike” one Croespenmaen worker declared
“and the sooner the better”.
Strangely, after all the Tory media propaganda about public sector ‘gold plated’
pensions being ‘unfair’ on private sector workers there has been virtually no
coverage of the fight of the private sector Unilever workers’ strike to defend
their pensions. And no Tory MPs were seen on the Croespenmaen picket line.
Unite say that, “Shutting down the scheme will wash the retirement plans of
5,000 workers down the drain - one worker has already estimated he will lose a
massive £150,000 from his pension pot if he lives for just 15 years after he
retires!”
This attack is taking place as Unilever announced an increase in pre tax profits
at the beginning of 2011 up to a massive £5.2 billion!
But Unilever worker's fight back along with their trade unions, Unite, Usdaw and
GMB has now started with their first ever national strike action. All workers
must support their fight.
This government want to divide workers over pensions by pitting public against
private sector but all workers' pensions are under attack. We need to build
links between public and private sector workers to stop the attacks on all
pensions. We need to fight together!
It's vital that the TUC name a date for the next public sector general strike
action by the end of January. Already Unison Scotland has voted unanimously for
a further day of coordinated action on 25 January.
NSSN activists have an important role to play by getting resolutions passed in
their union branches and with petitions etc to put pressure on our union leaders
to organise further coordinated strike action to include private sector workers
where possible.
You can also support Unilever workers as they battle against this attack on
pensions by;
Email your message of support to: [email protected]
Send a protest letter to Unilever to stop these pension changes
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