by René Lavanchy
Workers at Procter and Gamble’s Reading plant have become the company’s first British workforce to gain trade union recognition after a ballot last week.
The result means that 137 of the plant’s 200-strong workforce will now be represented by the Unite union for pay and bargaining.
Ken Chapman, a plant worker and Unite member who started the recognition campaign more than six months ago, said: “I’m on cloud nine. It’s given the company the right message and our job is to knuckle down and achieve the moral that’s necessary on the site through proper representation.”
P&G, which has a policy of not recognising unions across its 7,500-strong workforce in Britain and Ireland, said it was disappointed but would respect the outcome.
Meanwhile Remploy workers have rejected a 1 per cent pay offer by a nine to one majority. They also passed a no-confidence vote in the board of the disabled employer.
GMB union national secretary Phil Davies said: “This is a massive rejection by disabled workers and their staff. It shows that there is no confidence in the chairman and chief executive.”
Last month, it emerged that Remploy’s directors and managers were paid record bonuses of £1.77 million last year.
