Workers at a munitions plant that supplies Ukraine with missiles are going on strike for two weeks in an escalating dispute over pay and bonuses.
Nearly 50 workers who handle and load missiles at the defence munitions plant at Beith, in Ayrshire, allege they have been significantly short-changed by a pay and bonuses deal given to rocket-assembly staff at the plant.
The Beith site assembles and distributes the Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles being sent to Ukraine by the Ministry of Defence, which said the strikes would not affect supplies for the war.
The strike by GMB members, which has already involved several one-day stoppages over the past four weeks, is the first to hit Defence Equipment & Support, the MoD’s supplies, equipment and weapons agency.
The GMB said its members, who carry out “non-craft” roles, are now earning up to £18,000 less each year than skilled employees after DE&S significantly increased the pay package for skilled staff to avoid them being recruited by private defence firms.
“A two-tier culture has been allowed to embed itself in this workplace and risks good working relationships now and in the future,” said Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary.
“Everyone brings different skills to their work and that should be recognised, but the role of our members is fundamental to the effective operation of this important site. They are only asking for fairness, and the support they have received from Scotland to Ukraine shows why they deserve it.”
The MoD said contingency plans were in place to ensure the two-week strike, which takes place later in August, would not disrupt the plant’s operations.
“These strikes will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine. Pre-planned contingency measures are being implemented at DM Beith to ensure the continued safe and compliant operation of the site,” a spokesperson said.
“We remain open to dialogue with GMB to discuss the issues raised and work towards resolving them.”
The GMB said it had won support for the dispute from Ukrainian trade unions and a Ukrainian opposition MP and lawyer, Lesia Vasylenko, who has supported calls for Russia to be expelled from the UN.
The union released a letter from Mykhailo Volynets, chair of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine, that said the staff at Beith played “a crucial role” in supplying Ukraine with munitions.
“The supplies you ensure are a lifesaver for civilians in cities under constant attack by Russian forces, as well as for the brave Ukrainian military on the frontline,” Volynets wrote. “We sincerely appreciate your commitment to supporting Ukrainian workers during the hard times and stand in solidarity with union members in their struggle. We urge the employer to negotiate to resolve the problem as soon as possible.”
In a statement issued by the GMB, Vasylenko urged DE&S executives to settle the dispute. “The work being done by GMB Scotland members at Beith could not be more important to Ukraine as we fight for our freedom,” she said.
DE&S, which employs 11,500 people, recently came under intense criticism from MPs on the Conservative-led defence select committee at the House of Commons.
Mark Francois, the Tory MP who led the committee’s inquiry, said the MoD’s defence procurement systems were “broken” and in need of wholesale reform, a change made more acute and pressing by the war in Ukraine.
“Bureaucratic, siloed and slow-moving – this is a dysfunctional system that has left multiple programmes floundering in its wake. This urgently needs to change,” he said. His complaints were rejected by the MoD, which said ministers were spending an extra £5bn over the next two years “to improve readiness and resilience”.
