Vol. 77/No. 37      October 21, 2013

In April the company laid off 26 workers, including the union’s branch secretary at the plant. Days later 24 others were hired on “zero hour” contracts.

On Aug. 28, members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union started their first one-week strike.

The picket line was up 24 hours a day during the actions. Workers came in solidarity from other unions and workplaces across northwest England. On Sept. 16, for example, a delegation from Allied Bakeries in Liverpool brought £70 ($112) collected on the shop floor.

During the second walkout strikers and supporters took part in a solidarity march that ended with a meeting by some 250 at Welly Labour Club.

“Our union is strong now and it is you who have done it, who have stood at the gate around the clock in the rain,” striker Paul Cotten told the crowd.

Additional speakers included other strikers, representatives from unions and political organizations and Lisa Nandy, Member of Parliament for the Wigan constituency.

After the first strike, the company offered permanent jobs to the 24 agency workers. When the third strike was about to start, the bosses negotiated a deal that included promises to minimize the use of agency workers. The 26 workers who were laid off in April did not get their jobs back.

“The main thing achieved was to bring the temporary workers on permanently,” said union branch secretary Nick Hughes. “We’re more confident now.”

According to a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, agency workers on “zero hour” contracts have mushroomed to an estimated 1 million.
 
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