Carling brewery worker's massive vote for strike action at Burton-on-Trent

Brewery workers in Burton-on-Trent have voted 97% in favour of strike action against a vicious assault on pay and conditions from their employers Molson Coors.

As Molson Coors CEO of Europe counts his £360,137 a year, brewery workers face £8,000-£9,000 a year pay cuts, cuts in working conditions and a threat to sack everybody if they don't agree to the proposals by 14 June.

Some workers face losing their homes as a result of this savage attack and have no choice but to fight against this ultimatum. But as Unite branch secretary Phil Salt says, "We are a well-organised site with over 90% membership. We believe that if we allow this to happen, employers will believe they can do anything, anywhere.”

The outcome of this struggle will be watched by workers and employers in the food, drink and tobacco industry across the Midlands and nationally. It's in the interests of all these workers that Burton brewery workers win this battle to defend pay and conditions. To do that they will need maximum support.

Trade union members should raise it in their branches and discuss what practical and financial support they can give.

• Click here for more information about the dispute

• Messages of support may be sent to Burton.Brewery@unitetheunion.org or via #burtonbrewery on Twitter.
• A fighting fund has been established. Cheques should be made payable to 'Unite' with 'Burton Brewery' written on the back and sent to Unite the Union, Finance Department, Transport House, 9-17 Victoria Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 8HX

Show your support for PCS Strike next Wednesday 5 June on picket lines and at the Rally in Hanley

 

Show your support at picket lines:

 

from 7am at Benefits Centre and HMRC (Tax Office) in Albion Square Hanley

 

from 8am at following Job Centres

Huntbach St, Hanley

 Paradise St, Newcastle

The Avenue,Kidsgrove

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t miss NSSN 7th annual conference1

 

Video of NSSN lobby of TUC:

http://shopstewards.net/2013/04/video-nssn-lobby-of-the-tuc/

Don’t miss

NSSN 7th annual conference

11am-5pm, Saturday June 29th, Camden Centre, Judd Street,

London, WC1H 9JE

Speakers include:

• Mark Serwotka – PCS general secretary
• Billy Hayes – CWU general secretary
• Steve Gillan – POA general secretary

The NSSN was initiated by the RMT transport union in 2006. Seven national unions – RMT, PCS, CWU, NUM, POA, NUJ, and BFAWU – are either affiliated to the NSSN or officially support it as well as countless union branches, shop stewards committees and trades councils.

We support workers in struggle as well as those facing victimisation for the crime of defending their members from the employer’s attacks.

The conference will include main sessions on resisting the cuts but also workshops on defending the NHS, organising in the workplace, housing, organising the unorganised, fighting blacklisting etc. It’s open to everyone in the unions and all those fighting these brutal cuts.

Contact info@shopstewards.net

Send your fee of £6 per person, payable to: ‘National Shop Stewards Network’ to PO BOX 54498, London, E10 9DE

Facebook event here http://www.facebook.com/events/127178207444661/
Download the colour leaflet here
Download a black and white version here

For info about transport from North Staffs please call or text Andy Bentley on 07845893607 or email andybentley3@hotmail.co.uk

The National Shop Stewards Network is supported by:

Support Carling workers at Burton-on-Trent

Our strike ballot has now started as members at Burton Brewery face what can only be described as a vicious assault.

Molson Coors are proposing :

• Pay for 184 of our 284 Technicians cut by £9000 per year, with the remaining 100 becoming "A" grade Technicians on the same salary

• Pay for FLT cut by £8000 per year

• Site agreement book to be destroyed and re-written by the employer

• Abolition of site agreement that protects pay for two years when shift changes result in loss of pay

• 49.5% of our 455 members facing an extreme pay cut

• Forced introduction of extreme shift working that would leave members on call or working at least 95% of the time

• Threat to sack us all if we don't agree to the proposals by June 14th

This attack has cast a shadow across the town, as other workers and employers watch carefully how this will end. The branch believes that employers through out the Midlands andthe FDT sector nationally will also be monitoring this dispute closely.

We are a well organised site with over 90% membership. We believe that if we allow this to happen, employers will believe they can do anything, anywhere.

Our fight is every workers fight. If successful, this proposal will depress the local economy. We are told we are paid "upper tier" pay rates. Bring those rates down, and the averages come down for everybody else. Most employers now use local "market rates", and if this attack succeeds, local rates will be coming down for everybody else - in our minds there is no doubt about that.

Our members face losing their homes. That's how extreme these proposals are.

A ballot for strike action is underway, and we expect a resounding YES vote. The ballot closes on May 28th.

Messages of support may be sent to: Burton.Brewery@unitetheunion.org or via #burtonbrewery on Twitter.

A fighting fund has been established. Cheques should be made payable to 'Unite' with 'Burton Brewery' written on the back and sent to Unite the Union, Finance Department, Transport House,9-17 Victoria Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 8HX

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like any further information regarding the

dispute.

In solidarity,

Phil Salt

Branch Secretary

64 year old Unite member and leading blacklist campaigner George Tapp is in Manchester Royal Infirmary hospital today with 2 broken legs and a fractured knee cap after a car drove through a crowd of protesters at full speed outside Manchester City FC last night (Wed 15th May)

George was at the Blacklist Support Group AGM and alongside Steve Acheson negotiated a blacklist ban at Salford Council last month.

2 other blacklisted workers protesting against proven blacklisting firm Bam were also hit by the deliberate hit and run but only suffered minor injuries.

Everyone at the Blacklist Support Group wishes George a speedy recovery

Please send messages wishing George a speedy recovery, text via 07949 335 390.

Blacklist Support Group

video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRB9DjmhBHg

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/