BAE Systems workers vote for strike action

Aerospace workers at BAE Systems in Lancashire are set to take strike action this winter in a row over pay.

Members of the Unite union based at Warton and Samlesbury have voted for walk outs after rejecting the latest pay offer from the defence giant.

Union leaders warn that the strikes will “cripple production” and bring both sites to a standstill. BAE Systems says it is “disappointed” by the proposed action.

The dispute centres on a below inflation 3.6 per cent deal, which union bosses say “represents a real-terms pay cut” for professional services workers, including engineers.

The union says that the staff involved are also “furious” that it is below a pay offer made and accepted by shop floor workers, who it says received 4.5 per cent and an additional day of annual leave.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “BAE Systems is one of the world's biggest defence manufacturers and made billions in profit last year. It pays its CEO vast sums and yet sees fit to try and short-change our members for the sake of shareholders.

“This is completely unacceptable and Unite will be backing our members in their dispute until BAE Systems comes to its senses.”

Unite says that 5,000 of its members at the two military aircraft production sites were balloted and the vote came out overwhelmingly in support of strike action.

Around 400 workers from four sections of the company, including manufacturing and quality control, will take part in the first planned walk-out from November 5-25.

Unite regional officer Ross Quinn added: “Staff have shown the level of their anger by voting overwhelmingly for strike action and will now bring BAE’s operations at two major factories to a standstill.

“The current pay offer is utterly unacceptable and BAE needs to come back to the table with an improved offer that our members can accept if they don’t want to see workers on strike next month.”

In addition to strike action all balloted members of Unite at the two sites sites will stop working overtime, no longer travel off-site, cease any additional training and withdraw from any voluntary roles.

In a statement a BAE Systems spokesperson said: “We believe the company’s offer, which includes enhancements to pay and pensions and has been accepted by all 18 of the other Unite bargaining groups in our UK business, is fair and ensures that our employees will continue to receive market-leading pay and reward, while balancing our need to be competitive and affordable for our customers.

“The 416 employees choosing to take action make up less than 3.5 per cent of the workforce across our Warton and Samlesbury sites, and this population have received a 25 per cent rise in pay since 2019.

“We are really disappointed that this small group and Unite are attempting to disrupt the critical work we do for customers; we are determined to continue to deliver despite those efforts.”