Engineering firm staff set to strike

Employees at an engineering firm are set to stage a series of strikes over pay from next month.

Forty Unite members at Slough-based firm John Crane are set to walk out for six days across April and May, after they rejected a final pay offer of 3%.

Unite said it followed a decade of below-inflation pay increases, and the previous CEO being awarded a 22% pay rise last year.

A spokesperson for John Crane said they were "committed to engaging with Unite to reach a resolution".

The John Crane workers make mechanical engineering seals for bearings and pumps for the oil and gas industry.

Strike action is set to take place on 3, 10, 17, 22 April, and 1 and 6 May.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the workers had "the full support of Unite".

"It is a disgrace that John Crane's loyal workforce have been subjected to a decade of below-inflation pay increases especially when senior management are on extremely high salaries," she said.

Unite regional officer Malcolm Bonnett said it was the first time the workers had gone on strike.

"The industrial action is a direct reaction to management's refusal to offer our members a meaningful pay increase," he said.

"Strike action will inevitably cause disruption to the company's supply chains but this is entirely of TJ Crane's own making."

The John Crane spokesperson said: "While we respect the right of our employees to take industrial action, we are focused on maintaining open communication and minimising any disruption to our operations and customers.

"We will continue to engage with Unite in good faith to find a constructive way forward."

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