Bostik workers on strike at Stafford factory over pay dispute

Shop floor staff at the firm's base in Stafford joined the picket line from 6am this morning and will continue striking until Friday.

There are at least 130 hourly paid workers taking part in the 24 hour strike, which was set up by Unite the Union after 97 per cent called for action to be taken.

The union members are taking turns in joining the picket outside the firm's Common Road site.

Worker and Unite representative Gordon Ward said there are 11 days of planned action to picket until July.

The 56-year-old said: "We're here because Bostik are refusing to budge on pay settlement.

"We've been in negotiations since the middle of December and they won't recognise the 130 people in the Unite union here.

"We want fair pay for us all. They've offered two per cent as of last Thursday - it could easily be settled. We're not asking for anything drastic just fair pay."

It is the second time workers at the factory have picketed outside the site after a dispute over the defined benefit pension closing in 2016.

Mr Ward, who has work on the site for more than 25 years, said he and his colleagues deserve recompensing.

"They said they won't be negotiating any further and are standing by", he added.

"They tried to get us to call the strike off on Friday but the ladies and gentleman are adamant and there was a 97 per cent turnout for taking strike action.

"We've split it down into sections but there's 130 of us. There's three days this week and then none next week and then we're carrying on up until July.

"I hope we can achieve what we want. We don't want to strike and they definitely don't want us to but we want some recompense for what we do.

"All we want is fair pay. There was a strike for one day last year after closing the DB (defined benefit) pension and some of us lost a lot of money."

"We're not greedy people but its got to the point now and we want our bit."

A statement on behalf of the workers reads: "The hourly aid members of Unite the Union employed by Bostik at Stafford are hear today, the first of 11 days planned action to picket in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute with regard to pay.

"The background to this dispute is made up of two elements, economic and the breakdown of industrial relations.

"Economically Bostik have failed to offer a pay award in line with inflation currently at 2.7 per cent.

"The company has issued accounts which show record profits for 2015 but only fit to award a 0.5 per cent pay increase in 2016 this at a time when members were in dispute over the closure of their defined benefit pension scheme costing each members tens of thousands of pounds."

Bostik were contacted by the Express & Star for comment but have yet to respond.