Factory workers to strike amid row over pay

The factory specialises in aerospace, industrial gas and commercial diesel engine sectors

Staff at a factory have voted to strike in a row over pay after a union has said it can "absolutely afford" to pay its workers more money.

Strike action will begin at 06:00BST on 1 May at the ELE Advanced Technologies site in Nelson, Lancashire, continuing on 2 and 3 May.

Further industrial action would be announced unless the company improves its pay offer, trade union Unite said.

The company had offered workers a £1,000 pay increase, worth approximately 4%, from May 2023 and 5% from May 2024.

The union said this amounted to a substantial real-terms pay cut as the real inflation rate stood at 11.3% in May last year.

“This is a prime example of a company manipulating financial data to try to surpress workers’ wages and it has been caught red-handed," Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said.

"ELE Advanced Technologies can absolutely afford to pay its workers better wages.

“Unite always stands shoulder to shoulder with our members to ensure we secure better jobs, pay and conditions for every single one of them.”

'Pushed members to the limit'

ELE Advanced Technologies has been contacted for comment.

The factory, which specialises in aerospace, industrial gas and commercial diesel engine sectors, employs 160 people, including management.

Eighty staff members had agreed to the strike, the union said.

The union said the company had claimed it could not afford the pay rise due to financial losses in 2023, caused by a move to a larger manufacturing facility and long-term investments to increase future profits.

“ELE Advanced Technologies has pushed our members to the limit," Unite regional officer, Ross Quinn said.

"Every single worker has been repeatedly let down by broken promises. Wages have not kept up with inflation. Moreover, investors of the company are set to see massive returns.

“Strike action will inevitably cause shortages and production disruption for ELE’s customers but this dispute is entirely of its own making.

"It has had months to resolve this dispute but has stubbornly chosen not to do so.”