26 February 2024
This morning, Monday 26/2/2024, Medway Green Party joined the picket line of Gillingham PHINIA's workers. They are striking, for the first ever industrial action as members at the plant continue their ongoing action in response to the employers unilateral changes to terms and conditions.
The action has been brought over the company's new proposals for the lowest paid staff to lose their paid half hour lunch break and work longer shifts. This will result will be to work longer hours for no extra pay.
Richard Patey, Medway Greens liaison to Medway Trade Unions, said "This, apart from being an unfair approach, represents the blindness of PHINIA to how important these issues are to the lives of working people".
Unused to industrial action in their workplace, the Unite official on the line describes managements behaviour as belligerent but disorganised.
Richard adds "The Green party supports working people in their struggles for both fair treatment and the ability to have influence over their working lives. Acting through a organised trade union remains the best way to achieve these goals. It also opposes practices such as fire and rehire used to browbeat the people who do the real work".
Regional Unite Officer, Becca Johns-Lawrence, said: "PHINIA should be ashamed of how its treating its workers. A paid lunch break was achieved through past negotiations and Unite will simply not allow hard won rights to be undermined by a company seeking to further bolster its bank balance.”
Members of the union will continue with their strike action in the coming days.
Medway Green Party will always support working people in their struggle for both fair treatment and the ability to have influence over their working conditions.
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