Striking Romec engineering workers won enthusiastic support from busy Londoners when they held a high-profile picket line in the centre of the capital today (Monday).
Today’s one-day national walkout by over 800 CWU members followed three previous days of action in a dispute sparked by Romec bosses’ imposition of what the union describes as “draconian” changes to shift patterns and payments and their stubborn refusal to negotiate with the union.
Just across the road from the Houses of Parliament, where around a dozen Romec staff carry out building maintenance work, strikers picketed at Portcullis House, signalling their determination to achieve a just and fair settlement to their dispute.
Romec worker Roy Wenborne, who works at Mount Pleasant in north London, estimates that the changes would see him lose approximately £380 per month, due to the withdrawal of shift allowances under the company plan.“I’d still be working anti-social hours, but without shift allowance,” he explained, adding that there was no compensatory increase in salary to cover the losses.
House of Commons maintenance worker Phil McBrien said that, although he and his Romec colleagues at Westminster had not yet been faced with shift changes, he was determined to support his fellow workers in their struggle for justice.
“If Romec get away with imposing these changes elsewhere, they’ll soon bring them in here too,” he warned an argument that was also backed up by his colleague Peter Newman.And London Postal Engineering Branch secretary John Humphries reported that today’s strike, the fourth day of action so far in this dispute, had been solidly supported by Romec members across the capital.
National CWU officer for Romec staff Ray Ellis added that, according to reports received from across the country, the action had also been successful nationwide.
“It’s been very very strong again,” said Ray, who went on to point out that, following today’s strike, Romec members will carry out a national 14-day ban on callout.
“It will be very difficult for Romec to cover its Royal Mail duties and its contracts elsewhere during this period,” he warned. “We expect it will make a significant impact.”
Similar picketing activity took place at other high-profile sites around the UK at Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Gloucester, Swansea, Stoke-on-Trent, Bristol, and Poole.
