A-Infos (en) Freedom 6404 22 Feb, 2003 - Industrial news

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Gatwick
Ground crews celebrated victory on 8th February after 
bosses dropped plans to cut allowances and introduce 
changes to conditions of employment. The 700 baggage 
handlers, all members of the GMB, are employed by 
handling company Aviance. They'd recently voted 
overwhelmingly to strike over what they called 'bully 
boy tactics' by managers trying to railroad changes 
through.

London
Nearly 400 bus workers marched to the offices of the 
Greater London Authority on 12th February to demand 
pay parity with their colleagues on the Underground. 
Bus drivers earn an average £18,000, compared to 
£31,000 for drivers on the Tube. Activists in their 
union, the T&G, said pay levels had dropped since 
privatisation in the 1980s.

Railway victory
Over 2,500 drivers at the country's largest rail freight 
company suspended a series of strikes on 13th 
February, after winning an increased offer on pay and 
conditions. More than two hundred English, Welsh and 
Scottish Railways (EWS) trains had been cancelled 
during the previous 48-hour strike, which began on 8th 
February. Activists in both the RMT and ASLEF said 
the workers were protesting at long hours and low pay. 
The new EWS offer will result in a cut in hours to 35 a 
week in a year's time, with a payrise of over 7% within 
two years.

Coventry
Over 5,000 workers at Peugeot plants in Ryton and 
Tile Hill went out on 13th February, in response to 
what they called a "wholly inadequate" pay offer. The 
24-hour strike was also held in response to a 
management attempt to increase employee pension 
contributions. T&G members at the plants pointed out 
that the company had previously awarded itself a 
pensions holiday to allow it to speculate more on the 
stock exchange. Partly funded by this subsidy from the 
workforce, Peugeot UK shareholders enjoyed profits of 
£250 million in 2002.

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