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CWU Day of Action, 7am to 12 noon, Wednesday 15 June,
HEROtsc, Erlang House, 106 Dalton Ave, Birchwood Park, Warrington, WA3 6YD
HEROtsc is a hugely profitable and growing company who has seen staffing levels almost double in the last 18 months despite the difficulties of the recession. However, in spite of this, since taking over the Vodafone contract at the Warrington site the local management have used “Dickensian employment practices” to reduce costs and lower terms and conditions for those people at the sharp end of the business.
Over the last six months the CWU has seen a big growth in membership at HEROtsc, Warrington – this growth is a response to the change in management style employed at the site. Workers at the site are fed up of feeling bullied and victimised and have started to demand that the company treats them with dignity and respect – not much to ask in 21st Century Britain!
But apparently the company doesn’t share this desire as their active pursuit of CWU member’s who have spoken out demonstrates. HEROtsc seems to think it is OK to fabricate cases against people they want to get rid of, including union reps. As the company cannot be trusted to treat their employees fairly, and as they abuse their internal processes and procedures to victimise workers, the CWU has no alternative but to make this public statement of support for our members – particularly the members who have been suspended, but also those members and their colleagues who continue to work at the site.
HEROtsc does not want a union on site – they do not want a union because they want a free-ride to treat workers as badly as they like. Only by joining together in the CWU, standing together and speaking out together will HEROtsc get the message that their workers demand and deserve respect and fair treatment.
Sometimes a company’s public image is not the same as the image they want to present to the world. Since taking over, HEROtsc have:
• Reduced toilet break times to 4 minutes per shift, making staff work the extra minutes back at the end of their shift, while letting it affect their bonus.
• They have reduced the break times for employees, even though they had agreed to honour this at the time of taking over the contract. This led to a collective grievance that was signed by 98 employees, but the company broke their promises to deal with the matter collectively.
• They don’t offer new starters any form of company sick pay.
• They have changed the shift patterns twice in the space of the last 6 months, without undertaking any meaningful consultation, leaving staff with the headache of trying to re-arrange child care and family life around the business.
• They have suspended and sacked employees for not adhering to company policy that staff we’re unaware of, and they have also stopped weekly meetings with team managers to provide updates on changes to the business.
• They have failed to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act and have ignored the well being of staff who take ill while at work or who are suffering from work related stress and other illnesses.
• Targets have risen making it harder achieve a bonus payment.
• The union reps on site are punished financially when representing colleagues, but this does not deter them, as they also come in on their days off to represent their members
• Even in a recession they have lost over 450 staff since last July and attrition rates have gone through the roof since HEROtsc has taken over from Vodafone. We will leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why that may be...
For more information or to send a message of support please contact: CWU Merseyside & South West Lancs Branch at: branch@cwumswl.org