Workers at a coffin factory in Glasgow are set to take week-long strike action in a dispute over pay.
Unite members at Co-op Funeralcare on Bogmoor Place will be walking out following the rejection of a real-terms pay cut. Around 50 craft workers based at the Co-op's only coffin manufacturing facility in the UK rejected the offer and voted to take strike action.
The union said the offer on the table by the Co-op is less than half that of the current real rate of living cost, which is 12.3 per cent.
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The strike action will begin October 31 and it will continue each day until November 7 when the action will conclude. The walkout will bring production at the factory to a complete stop.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Co-op trades on being different to bad employers, it should not be proposing a real-terms pay cut for their Funeralcare workers, especially when they can well afford to pay fairly.
"We will fully support our Co-op members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Willie Thomson, Unite industrial officer, added: “Co-op Funeralcare have left our members with no option but to take strike action as they have failed to table an acceptable wage offer. We have given negotiations every opportunity to resolve this dispute but the Co-op are failing to recognise the cost of living crisis.
"Unite’s members are sending a clear message by taking strike action that the wage offer is unacceptable, and they are determined to fight for a better wage deal.”
The Co-op defended their position in a statement to the Scottish Daily Express yesterday.
A spokeswoman said: "Our colleagues at our Glasgow coffin factory are a hugely valued part of our Co-op and following ongoing discussions with Unite we are disappointed that we have not been able to reach an agreement about pay.
"In spite of the difficult trading environment, we have offered all of our colleagues at the coffin factory a fair pay increase. We are confident that the combined base pay and production bonus for roles within the Coffin Factory remain highly competitive.
"We would like to provide full reassurance that the strike has no impact on our ability support to bereaved families and we are able to maintain a strong supply of coffins."
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