Pay Strikes At Sun Chemical─The UK’s Only Ink Manufacturer─Set To Disrupt UK Print Production
As the cost of living crisis begins to bite, fuelled by the Ukraine crisis, and global uncertainty, UK Trade Unions have begun to start concerted action in the production workspace with aggressive moves to obtain increases in pay for their members.
A case in point, was where Unite the Union took industrial action across the UK last week, as almost two hundred Sun Chemical employees staged a twenty-four-hour industrial action picket strike over an “insulting” 3% pay offer.
Pay strikes at the UK’s only ink manufacturer, Sun Chemical, will impact the printing of the Daily Mail as well as production for Amcor, Scheizwer and Multi-Colour Corp.
The sites are in Bristol, Midsomer Norton in Somerset, Workington in Cumbria, Alfreton in Derbyshire and Heywood, Milnrow and Urmston in Greater Manchester.
Sun Chemicals is part of the global DIC corporation.
According to the DIC 2021 report, the corporation made £2.5 billion in profits, with its Europe and Africa division, of which Sun Chemicals is the largest company, netting profits of £60 million.
However, with sales down 7.6%, the UK arm registered a £3.7m loss during the last year, which, although less than the £5.3m loss of the year before, still meant that the future of UK ink manufacturing could be seriously threatened.
This hard commercial fact did not appear to affect the Union view, for, as Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “DIC and Sun Chemical generate massive profits so there is no reason at all why our members can’t be given a pay rise that reflects the soaring cost of living.
"Unite will not sit by while super-rich companies add to their wealth but tell their workers to swallow what amounts to a pay cut. Our Sun Chemical members are right to strike over this insulting offer and they will receive Unite’s full support.”
In Midsomer Norton production stoppages will impact Scheizwer and Multi-Colour Corp, while in Workington Amcor will be affected.
The printing of the Daily Mail will be hit by stoppages in Milnrow.
Unite national officer Louisa Bull said: “Our Sun Chemical members have put up with redundancies and site closures in recent years and are now expected to take a real terms pay cut.
“Sun Chemicals should be in no doubt that the strikes will escalate if this dispute is not resolved. There is still time for industrial action to be avoided, but that requires a deal being put forward that our members can accept.”
Unite the Union are planning on taking more action throughout the month, with a strike on Thursday, 30th June and a day of action on the 18th June in the pipeline.
