n By Hajera Blagg
Armed with vuvuzelas and megaphones, striking Oscar Mayer food manufacturing workers in Wrexham have come to make some noise – and it’s deafening.
Beginning in mid-September, they’ve been on strike for four weeks – long enough for picket lines to normally progressively dwindle – but nothing can dampen these workers’ enthusiasm.
Every strike day, the workers take to the ‘picket line’ in droves, often numbering in the hundreds. Even their Unite officer Jono Davies is in awe of their dedication.
Today’s picket line is formed outside a Tesco, one of the many supermarkets which Oscar Mayer – a major manufacturer of ready meals supplies. The majority of the workers don’t speak English, and so there’s a sense that their ear-splitting noise on the picket line is their message – that no matter the language barrier, they will not be silenced.
They’re fighting against their employer’s attempt to ‘fire and rehire’ them on significantly worse contracts. These inferior contracts include changes such as removing some paid breaks, reducing other breaks and scrapping any enhanced payments and days off in lieu for working bank holidays.
Taken together, the changes will see workers lose on average an astonishing £3,000 a year.
Unite member Barry has worked for the company and its predecessors for decades, and he’s furious that Oscar Mayer has been so heartless.
“Lots of people here will lose a significant amount of money – many of them are migrant workers who are only just starting to settle in this country and put down roots,” he said. “The company needs to be more sympathetic to people’s situations.”
Like Barry, Unite member Sharon has worked at the Wrexham factory for many years, and she too is angry.
“I’m 52 and I’ve never been on strike in my life,” she told Landworker. “But because of the conditions they’re trying to force on us now, we have no choice. It’s disgusting what they’ve done. How can you treat your staff like that?”
Sharon added that this is also the first time she’s been in a union.
“Unite has been amazing. Without their support we wouldn’t have got this far. We still have a long way to go because the company is being so stubborn. But we’re going to stick together until we win.”
Unite member Alex, originally from Romania, said he felt “very frustrated” when he first found out about the fire and rehire contracts.
“They’ve brought these contracts in when the price of everything keeps going up,” he explained. “It will affect me personally, but I’m most worried about families with children. For them it will be very hard. I’m here to support them. I’ve worked with them for nearly four years; I spend time with them outside of work. We’re more than friends – we’re family, and we’re going to stick together.”
Unite member Seb also highlighted how hard the changes to contracts will hit families especially.
“Many of our colleagues come from families where both earners are working in the factory, so that’s a double hit to their income,” he explained.
Seb recounted how he and his colleagues first joined Unite.
“When they first told us about the new contracts, we thought, ‘This can’t be legal’. But we did our research and it is. Then we found out one of our options is joining the union and fighting it, so we did.”
Was voting for strike action a difficult decision for Seb? His answer is unequivocal.
“Absolutely not. I said from the beginning, if this came to strike action, I would be the first one out the door. I told everyone, ‘If we don’t fight now, then we’ve already lost. We have to do our best and try’.”
For all their fighting spirit, Oscar Mayer workers want above all to discuss a compromise with management.
“We just want to negotiate,” Alex noted. “There has to be a middle position. We’re willing to give and take.”
17 uniteLANDWORKER Autumn 2024
Sadly, not only has Oscar Mayer refused to come to the table, but they’ve also gone above and beyond to break the strike. Employment agency job&talent, which regularly supplies agency labour to Oscar Mayer, has advertised temporary positions during the strike. Unite had previously warned the agency that is unlawful to do so and has now reported job&talent to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.
Oscar Mayer has also callously dismissed a number of workers who are not literate in English and so did not fully understand the notice period deadlines to accept changes to their contracts. Unite is now mounting a series of unfair dismissal cases for members who’ve been sacked.
The union is also taking on protective awards cases on behalf of all its members for a failure to correctly consult with the workforce before firing and rehiring them.
Unite regional officer Jono Davies said it was obvious the company was not looking to resolve the dispute.
“They’re using agency labour to break the strike, which is not only unlawful, but will cost them more in the end because they’re using temporary staff that don’t have the skills that our members do – which inevitably will worsen a food wastage problem that they already have,” he explained. He condemned the way it has dismissed many loyal workers, and urged the company to change course now.
“They cannot continue like this – it’s unsustainable. We ask them to pick up the phone, and let’s talk.”
Above all, Jono said he’s inspired by members’ determination.
“Before this started, we only had maybe 50 members on-site. Within six weeks, we had over 550. It just shows the commitment and the passion that these workers have to defend their terms of employment. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
As Landworker went to print, the strike continues
Mark Harvey
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