At a giant B&Q warehouse in Worksop Frances O’Grady, the TUC’s general secretary is greeted by workers celebrating victory. Having balloted to reject a 4% pay offer, Unite members at B&Q’s main UK distribution centre stood firm. Eventually, the 450 warehouse workers secured a 6.7% pay deal backdated to July. With recognition and bonus payments on top, they will receive the equivalent of a 10.75% rise.
“The workers from B&Q are a great example of what is possible, affordable and just,” says O’Grady. “They should never have had to go on strike to get a fair share but they were determined. They were in it for the long haul.”
“It is plain to see that it is not pay rises that are driving inflation. According to the Bank of England’s own estimates real [inflation-adjusted] wages are going to fall again this year. Working families are victims of inflation, not the cause of it,” she says. "...There is plenty of evidence that working families are really struggling, and not just low-paid workers. Middle-income people are feeling it too.”
She explained, “There is nothing left to squeeze”, she says. “With strong unions, working people at least have a chance of a fair shot. If you set out to weaken unions then you are deliberately weakening the bargaining power of working people. When I go out on the road I get angry but I also get encouraged. People have to believe we can win but we have to organise.”
Workers can fight and beat the wage squeezes, says Frances O’Grady | Frances O'Grady | The Guardian
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