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Goodrich staff in pension strike
Monday 28th January 2008, 3:14PM GMT.
Hundreds of workers at a Wolverhampton aerospace factory and its sister plants around the UK were on strike today in a protest over pensions.
They are angry that American-owned Goodrich is closing its final salary scheme to new staff. It is also insisting all existing staff pay 3.5 per cent extra in contributions.
Around 1,100 workers across half a dozen sites, including Wolverhampton and three in Birmingham, voted by 2-1 for industrial action. A ban on overtime started on Friday and a 24-hour strike was being staged today, with pickets at the Goodrich Actuation Systems plant on Stafford Road.
The Wolverhampton factory makes parts for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the double-decker Airbus 380 passenger jet and the F-35 Lighting II, a next-generation stealth warplane.
Over the past year the extra work has led to a jobs boom at Wolverhampton, with the firm trying to fill another 100 places at the factory. Unite regional officer Andy Taylor said today that the company had behaved “outrageously”.
But Goodrich spokesman Martin Butler insisted today that the firm believed its pension arrangements for staff were highly competitive.
Fordhouses plant convener Ian Hayward, aged 43, from Penkridge who has worked there as a fitter for 28 years, said: “We are giving the company two weeks’ grace before the next planned one-day stoppage to give them chance to get back around the table and find a resolution to this.”
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Unfortunately action like this highlights the threat of moving component manufacturing to the far east, where the same expertise exists at half the labour cost. I hope the management are tolerant but ill winds are on the horizon.
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Only a small percentage of staff will pay an extra 3.5 per cent extra in contributions. The majority of the workforce will only face a 1% contribution increase.
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Anybody involved in UK Manufacturing is on borrowed time I’m afraid. The clues are there for all to see when the government goes to the ends of the earth to save a crippled bank but turns a blind eye to UK manufacturing’s casualties. This cheap labour abroad will end eventually as, certainly in Eastern Europe, they’re slowly catching up. The real competition will be from India and China, then UK Plc will really be at the poor house.
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We are being robbed by a multi billion pound company of our pensions, while in the mean time they forget to mention that for three years they subbed up the Americans pension schemes with our money (bloody lucky we ar’nt wearing orange as we could come under friendly fire ).Goodrich love the Chinese,Mexicans and anywhere else thats cheap, so much for loyalty.
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Whoever is the mystery number 2 needs to go & check the facts. There i over 50% of the pension funds members WILL be paying an extra 3%, approx 100 members will be paying MORE than that, & the rest i.e the real new starters will be paying 1%. I suggest they go & dig out the company’s original proposal’s of which all the figures of what members are expected to pay extra are on there. The end result to all of this is Goodrich want us to pay more, for less benefits & final salary pension. Ian Gorton Senior Shop Steward Marston Green.
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The article states “all existing staff pay 3.5 per cent extra in contributions”, your comment, Ian Gorton, backs up my statement that the article is incorrect. Employees need to except ecomonic change forces us to make additional payments, it’s a fact of life unfortunately. At the end of year 2007 Goodrich payed an additional £5 million pounds into the scheme.
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Number 2 yes the article is wrong in the Express & Star but so are your comments that most staff will only pay 1%. That might be true in 20 years time. I presume you are not interseted in the future of the pension scheme just yourself, you need to be reminded that somebody years ago fought to get you what you have today.
To be honest I won’t even bother to reply to you again if you can’t/won’t reveal your real name. Hiding behind an anonnymous is another form of cowardice.
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Mystery number 2, yes I agree that the Express & Star has been given slightly wrong figures but it’s certainly more than “a few” that you state. You must remember that years ago men fought to get you these pension rights, obviously you won’t be affected by this!
To be honest if you have to hide behind annonimity then I won’t reply again. It’s just another form of cowardice.
For everyone else:-
The next strike action is Monday 11th Feb. Please visit facebook & the group:- Goodrich Industrial Action to sign the guest book to show continued support.
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The next strike action is Monday 11th Feb.
Please visit facebook & the group:- Goodrich Industrial Action to sign the guest book to show continued support.
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i have recently found out from a employee that, they will be cutting wages by half.. OUTRAGEOUS
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I agree with ian “Mystery number 2, yes I agree that the Express & Star has been given slightly wrong figures but it’s certainly more than “a few” that you state”
The figures are certainly something to be concerned about….
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Will the faceless Mystery number 2 please come forward? If your willing to put a comment please put your name. If you are a Goodrich employee then come forward you coward!!!!!!!
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I can’t believe the company offer a bit of cash “£500″ and the protests stop. The unions have no power…
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