n By Hajera Blagg
The UK’s food system, from plough to plate, is a vast, complex machine – remove a single part and the whole thing grinds to a halt.
This machine is run by workers in industries across the economy, who all play a vital role in keeping the nation fed, though they may not realise it themselves. For a small group of fertiliser workers, the importance of their work only became clear when they stood prepared to strike for better pay – and won.
The workers, employed by Hargreaves Industrial Services at CF Fertiliser’s plant in Billingham, County Durham, pack and load ammonium nitrate at the factory. The company is one of the main suppliers of fertiliser to British farmers, and both CF Fertiliser and Hargreaves are highly profitable businesses.
Packing and loading ammonium nitrate is a tough, risky job. Shifts are 12 hours long, with unsocial hours the norm. Because ammonium nitrate is highly hazardous, there’s a risk of both explosive and toxic atmospheres at the plant. This is all compounded by the daily safety hazards of a busy factory buzzing with forklifts and other heavy machinery.
For all their hard and dangerous work, the Hargreaves packers and loaders were being paid just pence above the legal minimum wage. But they soon realised enough was enough, and thanks to their brave stand, they’ve now seen their wages rise by an astonishing 21 per cent.
Landworker caught up with Unite rep Kris Schoenrock, who told of how he and his colleagues – virtually none of whom were in the union just over a year ago -- decided to organise themselves from scratch.
While there had long been workforce concerns over pay, the matter came to a head at the height of the cost- of-living crisis. Their employer had just relayed the news that they were to receive a mere 2 per cent pay rise as part of their contracts – a massive real-terms pay cut.
“This totally destroyed our wages,” Kris explained. “And when we tried to raise our concerns, Hargreaves said there’s nothing they can do because
it’s in the contract and their hands were tied.”
It was coming up to Christmas when one conversation in particular lit a fire in Kris to take a stand and fight for fairer pay.
“One of the lads came up to me and he was really upset. He said he was going to have to choose whether to have the heating on in the week before Christmas or to buy a Christmas present for his son. How is it possible that in 21st century Britain, a person working a full-time job is forced to make this decision?”
It was then that Kris knew something had to be done. Anger over the real-terms pay cut quickly turned into action when the Hargreaves workers organised themselves and joined Unite.
“Before joining Unite, HR would promise us the world, then say they couldn’t do anything about our pay, because it was in the contract. I told the lads we weren’t going to get anywhere unless we joined a recognised union.”
After securing union recognition, they put in their first pay claim in January. The company’s initial offers were well below what workers had asked for.
“And then we heard nothing. They didn’t want to negotiate,” Kris explained. “It wasn’t until we started balloting for industrial action that they put in a higher offer. But then they went back on a promise that pay would be backdated if negotiations went past April.”
For many workers, this broken promise was the last straw. The ballot yielded an overwhelming vote in favour of strike action. It wasn’t an easy decision, and Kris was placed under immense pressure by management to advocate for the employer’s most recent substandard offer.
“One manager even told me it’s your job to convince members to accept their offer,” Kris noted. “I told them, ‘Hang on – my job is to represent the views of our members and communicate them to you. And I can tell your right now that they’re not happy’.”
13 uniteLANDWORKER Autumn 2024 ‘‘
They’re incredibly proud of this win, as am I. They’ve seen that being in a union really does make a difference – it works
Kris Schoenrock, Unite rep
But just two days before workers were poised to take their first-ever strike action, the company came back with a serious offer – 21 per cent, more than three times their initial offer.
This would take workers pay up to £14 an hour. Shift allowances were increased by a substantial 75 per cent. And all workers with more than 5 years’ service would be granted two additional holidays.
Finally, this was an offer that the workers could accept.
“They’re incredibly proud of this win, as am I. They’ve seen that being in a union really does make a difference – it works. And it’s given them the realisation that they’re an important piece of the puzzle. Everyone dismisses us as ‘just the packers’. But without the packers, the whole machine stops.”
Unite agricultural chair Steve Leniec congratulated the fertiliser workers on this vital win as he explained the importance of on-time fertiliser deliveries.
“Most farms in the UK lean heavily on ready supplies of fertiliser to drive output and maintain an economic return from crops,” he noted.
“As we saw with the gas and oil shock, which drove prices up to £1000 a tonne at its peak, any disruption will have a real impact on food production and ultimately food prices,” Steve said, noting that it was clear that the industry had been passing on costs and profiting from previous price hikes.
“Workers throughout the food industry find themselves at the bottom of the pay scale, despite the importance of their jobs. They deserve a decent wage for their labour, and these companies can well afford one.
‘‘
Alamy
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
