Lincat Employees Hold Month-long Strike Over Pay Conditions
Commercial kitchen appliance manufacturer, Lincat will face more than a week of disrupted operations due to escalating industrial actions by employees over a pay dispute. Workers staged a week-long walkout in September and are now preparing for a month-long strike from Monday, September 25 through until October 23. The demand of over 100 striking workers remains a pay increase matching the rate of inflation at 9.7 per cent.
Details of the Pay Dispute
Unite, the trade union representing the workers, have released statements indicating that employees rejected the company's proposal of an 8 per cent split wage increase. They dubbed this as effectively a decrease in wage when measured against the UK's inflation rate which sits at 9.1 per cent.
"We didn’t get a response from management, nothing’s come forward, so we’ve issued them with further action for four weeks," said Mark Wain, Unite's Lincat representative.
According to Wain, the management has not provided any answers to settling the issue at hand. The strikers have set a 9.7% pay increase target, which is equivalent to the increase in the minimum wage.
The union flagged microeconomic factors affecting workers' purchasing power while the company has been profitable. Notably, the workers' current hourly wage of £12.03, whilst once above the minimum wage, has shrunk in relative terms over time.
"The company’s making lots and lots of profit, but they don’t seem to want to share it with the members that are just asking for a bit to get them by while we’re in this cost of living crisis," stated Lee Purslow, regional officer for Unite the Union.
Purslow expressed disappointment at the company's unwillingness to negotiate, leading to intensified industrial action.
Effects on Production
With an array of different roles from welding to safety testing affected by these disruptions, a significant impact on the factory's productivity is anticipated.The prolonged strike may lead to delayed deliveries for Lincat's clientele, which include pubs, restaurants, and canteens.
Lincat's Response
Despite workers' complaints and the union's call to action, Lincat, a subsidiary of the US-based Middleby Corporation, has declined to comment on the escalating labour dispute.