ELECTRIC PICKET LINES IN COVENTRY WITH THE BLACK CABERS STRIKE

Workers at the London Electrical Vehicle Company (LEVC) held large picket lines on Thursday 13 June.

Unite union members are demanding a pay rise. They also started an overtime ban this week.

Paul, who works at LEVC building electric cars, told Socialist Worker: “I never had a decent pay rise in the eight years I was at the Ansty Park factory.

“The hat has dropped and dropped past where it should be. The union released some numbers and found it to be nearly 20% below the industry average.

“Our pay is now only around £2 or £3 more than the minimum wage an hour.

“We are asking for a 5% pay rise and a £1,000 lump sum. At the start, bosses offered us a 3.5% rise and a taxable lump sum of £350. The workers rejected the offer.

“Then they offered us an additional lump sum of £50. The workers thought this was offensive – what does an extra £50 mean? It’s not even a weekly grocery shop for a family. They wouldn’t even pay a bill.

“In the end we were offered a 4% rise with a £500 lump sum, but bosses said it wouldn’t be paid back until January and we wouldn’t get paid back until April.

“They said this is their final offer. The workers again rejected and voted to strike.”

Paul explained that years of stagnant wages pushed workers to organize. He said they recently elected new union representatives and started having much larger union meetings. Union membership at the plant grew from 30 to about 100.

“People have joined the union to be part of this action,” he said. “Now, when we have a union meeting, the workshop closes.

“The managers laughed at us saying there weren’t enough union members to make a difference. But now, when we stop working, production stops.”

Paul added that unity among the workforce meant that picket lines on Thursday were large.

“The mood inside the factory was bad. We feel the bosses have taken us for granted,” he said. “But the picket lines were great. Everyone felt good. We are more united than ever.”

He said workers are tired of bosses blaming them for poor sales. “But even if they can’t sell the cars, the top bosses still get bonuses,” he said. “The bosses want us to take less because the business is struggling.

“What they don’t seem to understand is that we are fighting. A lot of us can’t afford to drive a car to get to work every day.”

After just one day of strikes, LEVC bosses said they would sit down to negotiations starting next week. But Paul said workers were ready to continue to strike if they didn’t get the offer they wanted.

Source: https://socialistworker.co.uk/news/electric-picket-lines-in-coventry-black-cab-makers-strike/