Survitec factory staff on strike want 'respectful pay offer'
- Published
Workers at the Survitec factory in Dunmurry have been on strike since last week
Union members at the Survitec factory on the outskirts of Belfast are continuing strike action for a fourth day in a dispute about pay.
About 160 workers have been on the picket line since last Thursday.
The Unite union said its members within the workforce were seeking an "inflation-proof" pay increase after they rejected an offer of a 6% rise.
Survitec, a global manufacturer of lifeboats and emergency equipment, is hoping for an "acceptable resolution".
The company's management met the union for talks at the factory in Dunmurry on Tuesday morning.
Survitec says it will continue to engage with Unite in an attempt to resolve the pay dispute
One worker, who has been with the company for 40 years, said she was on the picket line because she was "struggling to keep my home afloat".
She said that "a 78 pence pay increase on my basic rate... from 2018 just isn't cutting it for me anymore".
Another worker said the pay rises offered so far had been disrespectful to staff, particularly after their work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the company had not "really rewarded those people who are, at the end of the day, the bedrock of this company".
He said there was a good atmosphere on the picket line, with the striking workers singing and dancing.
Susan Fitzgerald says Survitec's pay offers have been derisory
Susan Fitzgerald from Unite said: "This is very much a strike about pay but also respect.
"To date, the company have made derisory offers and they will not be accepted."
She said the strike would continue until members received a respectful pay offer.
She said the 6% pay increase was "an insult at a time when... energy costs are still crippling on ordinary people".
At one point on Tuesday a conga line broke out on the picket line
"Six percent or anything like that will not be tolerated by this workforce," added Ms Fitzgerald.
In its statement Survitec said: "It is with regret our colleagues have voted to take industrial action.
"We remain fully committed to engaging with Unite The Union to come to an acceptable resolution."