A third wave of strike action by “frustrated and angry” Liverpool workers has begun.
For the next two weeks, members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) will leave their posts at Hinduja Global Solutions as they seek improved terms of pay and working conditions. The 82 workers, employed by HGS to run the contact centre and back-office functions of the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), will take action from today until October 29, after which they will work only their contracted hours.
Workers on Tithebarn Street have already staged 12 days strike action over their pay, including a commitment to paying at least the Living Wage Foundation of £10.90 per hour, pay when sick, an annual leave entitlement of 27 days, paid breaks and job security.
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Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “It’s disappointing that the multi billionaire owner of HGS, Srichand Parmanand Hinduja, is still refusing to give his hard-working staff a decent pay rise. He has an estimated personal wealth of more than £24.5bn, so he can definitely afford it.
“Our members are frustrated and angry at his reluctance to pay them fairly, and they’re more than prepared to dig in for the long haul. As Christmas fast approaches, Mr Hinduja should stop playing Scrooge and treat his staff to a pay rise.”
A spokesperson for HGS said during the second stage of strike action: “To date, HGS has attempted to discuss the demands being made by PCS Union and its representatives and reiterated the fact that HGS is unable to accommodate the unreasonable requests being made by PCS. Despite this, PCS has failed to reconsider its position and/or present a negotiable position.
“Furthermore, and for the avoidance of doubt, HGS has continued to operate its DBS campaign and met its obligations during the strike action. Despite the strike action, HGS has demonstrated its ability to fulfil the demands of the campaign.
“HGS is a standalone publicly traded business on the Indian Stock Market. HGS UK Limited, that operates the DBS contract is a subsidiary of HGS. The Hinduja family are shareholders alongside many other institutional investors.”
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