by René Lavanchy
A small band of British factory workers have taken on the might of one of the world’s biggest multinational corporations in their campaign to secure union recognition.
Unite the Union is today (Friday) expected to start proceedings with the Government’s central arbitration committee to force Procter & Gamble to recognise the union’s right to bargain on behalf of staff at the firm’s Reading plant.
If successful, the company – which has a policy of not negotiating with unions – could face demands for union recognition across its 18 plants in Britain and Ireland employing around 7,500 people.
But in what one worker called “anti-union” tactics, staff at the factory have been told by bosses that they would gain nothing from being recognised – and that it could force the site to close.
Ken Chapman, a Unite member and team leader at the factory who has led the campaign, told Tribune: “I’m confident that we can have success through the CAC.”
Most of the weekly paid staff, who are the majority of the factory’s 200-strong workforce and whom Unite seeks to represent, have joined the union.
Mr Chapman said employment relations had broken down after P&G took over the factory from Gillette in 2005: “We had a good management-employee relationship through the Reading consultative committee… But after P&G took over the site they attempted to steam-roller in wide ranging changes to our terms and conditions”.
“The RCC, after making repeated attempts to moderate the approach, realised that ’steamrollering’ was all the company ever wanted to achieve – so we resigned and recommended that all employees join a Union to get better representation.”
Workers are said to be “furious” at the changes introduced last year, including a seven-day rota and six-hour increase in the working week.
After Unite approached Procter & Gamble, factory manager Paul Moring sent a six-page letter to all employees’ homes, in order to “keep you updated” on the union negotiations. He warned that unionisation could affect their job prospects: “Our salary and benefits package for all employees remains highly competitive. This has been achieved by taking a long term view. We are concerned that collective bargaining would not support this long term view and that [it] would impact the future viability of the site.”
In a question-and-answer section, Mr Morley posed the question: “What are the advantages to Reading plant employees of union recognition at this time? We find it difficult to believe there are any”.
A Procter & Gamble spokesperson denied that the company was running an anti-union campaign. They added: “P&G UK has a long-standing belief that direct consultation and communication with its staff on a broad range of issues is in everyone’s best interest and delivers better outcomes than working through a third party, such as a union.”
