Union warns strikes will bring BAE Systems ‘to its knees’

Workers at BAE Systems plants in Lancashire are escalating strike action over pay, with a union leader warning the walkouts will bring the defence giant “to its knees”.

Around 400 members of the Unite union at Samlesbury and Warton, including manufacturing and quality control workers, walked out on November 5, with the strike due to last until November 25.

Now the union has announced a second walkout that is set to run from November 16 until December 17.

The strikes follow the rejection of a 3.6 per cent pay offer, which union bosses say “represents a real-terms pay cut” for professional services workers, including engineers.

Unite says 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.

BAE Systems says it believes that the offer is fair and it includes enhancements to pay and pensions.

The company launched an unsuccessful High Court action last week in a bid to stop staff from striking.

Unite says BAE has now “imposed” the rejected pay increase on the workforce. In a statement it said: “As a result, a select group of workers are taking further strike action that will see more production lines at Warton and Salmesbury grind to halt.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “BAE’s antics in court last week has further infuriated workers who were already angry at the real-terms pay cut that the company is imposing.

“This is appalling behaviour from a billion-pound company currently making record profits. Unite will not stand for such greed and our members will now be bringing BAE to its knees between now and Christmas.”

Unite regional officer Ross Quinn added: “BAE has made a huge tactical error in attempting to block our members taking strike action in court and now imposing a pay deal on them.

“It has simply entrenched their anger, and they are now gearing up for sustained industrial action that will bring Warton and Samlesbury to a standstill.

“BAE needs to rapidly rethink its handling of this dispute and start using some of its huge profits to pay our members what they deserve.”

In addition to strike action, the union says that all 5,200 balloted members of Unite at the Warton and Samlesbury sites will stop working overtime, no longer travel off-site, cease any additional training and withdraw from any voluntary roles.

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.

“It 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. 

“Our priority remains to protect our people, our business and deliver on our commitments to our customers.”