Three hundred workers employed by Thales at its Govan and Reading sites are being balloted for strike action after rejecting a pay offer, Unite the Union has said.
The ballot, which opens on 2 June and closes on 23 June, covers Unite members working as electronics, software and systems engineers alongside manufacturing and mechanical technicians. The workers are based primarily at Thales’s site in Govan, Glasgow, with further members at the company’s Reading headquarters.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our Thales members are highly skilled and work on critical defence and security systems, but the company’s pay offer is treating the workers with contempt. Thales is very wealthy with a record order book. It needs to do the right thing for its workers in Glasgow and Reading by making an improved offer which our members can accept.”
Unite regional coordinator Elaine Dougall said: “Thales is recording tens of millions in profit and it is making billions from UK government contracts. Thales needs to return to the negotiating table with an improved offer, or they will face the anger of their workforce on the picket line.”
Thales UK registered £179.3 million in combined operating profits in 2023 and 2024. The company recently announced export deals worth £1.1 billion, sustaining hundreds of jobs in Glasgow, and holds record levels of orders with the Ministry of Defence. Thales remains the sole supplier of periscopes and optronics masts to the Royal Navy.
The company told us:
“Our people are extremely important to us, and we take the concerns raised by Unite members seriously. While this only impacts a small proportion of our overall UK workforce, it is important that we remain engaged and listen to our employees. We do believe that the overall pay and benefits package we have offered is competitive within the market and this has been informed by independent industry benchmarking. In addition to a proposed base pay increase, the package also includes a one-off payment. Furthermore, following a profit-related payment already made in good faith earlier this year, Thales’ employer pension contributions in the UK will also increase later this year.
We have put forward what we believe is a fair and balanced offer in the context of the wider market and current business environment.”
Striking for more has been a major contributor in deveoping the UK to it’s present position since WW2.
Think carefully before Thales goes elsewhere. These staff need to look at UK industrial history – the lessons are tough, unpalatable else a lower standard of living will be the outcome.
For the average worker, it’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Despite increases in growth, productivity and profits, real wages have been stagnant over the last 15 years and more.
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They will make themselves uncompetive, fail to win future contracts and increase the cost of UK projects.to offset the losses.
I was the branch chairman of the prison officers accocian for 8 years. And I’ve always had the mantra that if you are unappreciated and disrespectful by the employer who hides behind the workforce are our most important asset. As they all do if you are so aggrieved, fighting for what you believe in us your right, as is withdrawing your input which benefits people you’ll never know or meet (the shareholders).. then if you so wish, you have a right to withdraw your labour.l.
Of course we have the right to strike. What we often forget is that our overseas competitors also have a right to exploit every opportunity. I agree that greed by some company managers & union leaders also contributes to our current situation. HMS Integrity appears to have left the UK and I see no easy answers unless corporate leaders begin to behave – sadly since the Duncan Sandys Defence review it has been mainly downhill. Perhaps Defence REview could start with some thoughtful solutions as mainstream media just hurls abuse around.
Of course we have the right to strike. What we often forget is that our overseas competitors also have a right to exploit every opportunity. I agree that greed by some company managers & union leaders also contributes to our current situation. HMS Integrity appears to have left the UK and I see no easy answers unless corporate leaders begin to behave – sadly since the Duncan Sandys Defence review it has been mainly downhill. Perhaps Defence REview could start with some thoughtful solutions as mainstream media just hurls abuse around.
Simple solution to this. Thales close UK plants and move to more favourable locations – like Canada.