"Survitec factory staff on strike want 'respectful pay offer'", 7 June 2023

Union members at the Survitec factory on the outskirts of Belfast are continuing strike action for a fourth day in a dispute about pay.

About 160 workers have been on the picket line...

The Unite union said its members within the workforce were seeking an "inflation-proof" pay increase after they rejected an offer of a 6% rise.

Survitec, a global manufacturer of lifeboats and emergency equipment, is hoping for an "acceptable resolution".

The company's management met the union for talks at the factory in Dunmurry on Tuesday morning.

One worker, who has been with the company for 40 years, said she was on the picket line because she was "struggling to keep my home afloat".

She said that "a 78 pence pay increase on my basic rate... from 2018 just isn't cutting it for me anymore"....

Susan Fitzgerald from Unite said...

"To date, the company have made derisory offers and they will not be accepted."...

She said the 6% pay increase was "an insult at a time when... energy costs are still crippling on ordinary people"...

In its statement Survitec said: "It is with regret our colleagues have voted to take industrial action.

"We remain fully committed to engaging with Unite The Union to come to an acceptable resolution."