Suffolk Print Workers To Strike For The Fourth Day

The Unite Union says workers have been given just two pay rises in the last 14 years.

The workers at the Beccles company will walk-out for 24 hours on 13 February in their dispute over the company’s current offer of a two year pay freeze from April 2018.

Unite, which has 75 members at the Copland Way site, said that the management still adamantly refused to put a firm proposal on the table since the workers first took a day’s strike action on 20th December.

Unite regional officer Mark Walker said: “The management at CPI William Clowes needs to recognise the continual hard work that our loyal members put in year in, year out.

“The management claim that they want to resolve this dispute, but have shown extreme reluctance in putting a firm pay proposal on the table.

“Our members are taking a fourth day of strike action on 13 February and, if there is no progress on pay, we will be staging further strikes in the run-up to Easter.

“The members have shown a great deal of resilience and solidarity during this dispute, buoyed up by the support from the local community.

“The background to their legitimate pay grievances is that this dedicated workforce has only had two pay rises in the last 14 years.

“There was one per cent in 2017 and the previous one was about a decade ago. It is a shameful indictment of this company which is part of the profitable CPI Group UK.”

The workers have already taken three days of strike action – in November, December and on 17 January and are already operating an overtime ban.