Hundreds of factory workers involved in a pay dispute are to hold a strike ballot. Staff at Merloni, in Blythe Bridge, will be balloted for strike action on Friday as part of a long-running dispute at the former Creda factory.
About 700 workers have already voted for industrial action after rejecting an offer which included a final below-inflation offer of a 2.5 per cent pay rise.
News of the strike ballot came as unions confirmed they were investigating a series of allegations from workers at the troubled works.
They include claims Italian managers have threatened to demote workers unless they hand in their union cards, and have accused the workforce of being “English idle bastards”, and racists.
These allegations were today rejected by the company.
Amicus regional organiser Mick Stevens said: “We find this whole thing totally unacceptable – they say they will talk and want resolution, but their actions seem to belie that. Industrial relations can’t possibly get any worse.”
He added: “The company needs to think about what it is doing and saying, and the message it is sending out to the workforce.
“Myself and John Torpey (GMB union organiser) have written to the company and said we need to talk.”
A spokesman for Merloni said: “The management’s position is there is no truth in these allegations – they reject them.”
He said new working groups are due to meet this week to discuss grievances with the unions and emphasised management is committed to discussion.
He added: “The management is still surprised and disappointed the union has adopted this aggressive stance.”
However, Mr Stevens confirmed there were allegations an Italian manager had threatened staff with demotion if they remained union members. Mr Stevens understood the manager was now in Italy, but said he should be disciplined if the allegation is proven.
He said: “We take a very dim view of that sort of thing. A complaint has gone in. If true, it is against employment law – you are not allowed to tell someone to come out of a union. It’s unacceptable to threaten people’s livelihoods, purely on the grounds they’re a member of a union. If proven that could leave the company open to legal proceedings. The union would complain in the strongest possible terms.”
Mr Stevens said the union was investigating an allegation that a number of workers had been demoted due to restructuring, although he claimed the company had not consulted the union, despite its legal duty to do so.
He also said another Italian manager had allegedly made a racist comment directed at the workforce: “English idle bastards.”
With productivity up 30 per cent despite a 30 per cent decrease in the workforce in the last six months, Mr Stevens said: “How can they say that?”
He said workers had alleged an Italian manager accused them of being “racist” because they laughed and booed when a cooker was crushed on a conveyor belt.
Mr Stevens commented: “I can only liken it to when someone drops a plate in the canteen and everyone laughs and jeers – I can’t say that’s particularly racist.”
From The Sentinal wrtten by CATHRIN VAUGHAN