From Mark Langabeer, RMT member
My Trades Council secretary has emailed a copy of a statement by the GMB, regarding the current strike by the gas workers, employed by Centrica. The GMB point out that Centrica made an operating profit of £ 901million in 2019 and profits from its domestic heating business in the UK rose by 27% in the first six months of 2020.
Justin Bowden, GMB’s National Secretary, writes that a pay cut of 15% and other imposed changes would not be acceptable to any trade union member in a company that was profitable. He went on to say that the men and women of Centrica’s ‘millionaire club’ are rich beyond the dreams of any gas engineer. He added that they will never succeed in grinding hard working staff into submission, just to earn a few more quid , at the expense of their customers. The CEO appears determined to sack the whole workforce and re-hire them on worse terms and conditions.
In my opinion, the management is likely to seek a negotiated settlement, given the level of support for the strike. The ballot for action showed 89% support. The GMB are currently urging everyone to sign a solidarity petition but should any striking gas worker be sacked for refusing to sign a new contract, the whole trade union movement should rally around and use all its resources in support of them. If the bosses succeed, firing and re-hiring will be used as a means of driving down terms and conditions in many other workplaces. The time to give the anti-union laws the’ two fingers’, is long overdue. Any sackings should be met by a 24-hour general strike call by the TUC and should be supported by every trade union member. An injury to one is an injury to all.
