“Workers lose out on pay when they’re on strike. And it takes confidence to stand up to a big employer like Tata.”
By Megaphone UK
In Teesside, a group of workers are taking strike action for the first time. And they need your support.
150 GMB union members at Tata Consumer Products, which makes Tetley Tea, walked out on strike in September.
Despite working for a multi-million-pound company, these workers are trying to make ends meet on ‘poverty pay’. Things have gotten so bad that there’s even a food bank on site.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Their employers at Tata can well afford to pay them a liveable wage.
That’s why they’re taking strike action – demanding fair pay for fair work.
Workers lose out on pay when they’re on strike. And it takes confidence to stand up to a big employer like Tata.
Since starting strike action at the end of September, the company has responded with bullying and intimidation.
Management called the police on the workers’ peaceful picket line. Police took no action and now the company has applied for an injunction against GMB union for trespass.
They are trying to bully union members for exercising their legal right to strike, rather than listening to their concerns and trying to find a solution.
But the Tetley Tea workers aren’t backing down.
We need to rally around this group of workers as they continue their fight for fair pay. And we need to let Tata bosses know that the trade union movement is watching them.
- You can show your support for workers at Tetley Tea by signing their petition to Tata here.
- This article was reproduced from Megaphone UK‘s newsletter on 8 October 2024.
