Michelin staff in Stoke vote on pay strike

Production workers at the Michelin tyre plant in Stoke-on-Trent are voting on whether to strike over a non-consolidated pay offer - but a similar vote at the company's Ballymena plant has failed to gather sufficient support for industrial action.

On offer is a lump sum worth £650 or 3%, whichever is the greater, but this will not be included in workers' salary so will not count towards their pensions. The offer was accepted by workers at Michelin's plant in Dundee last year after management warned of job losses.

T&G general union officials in Stoke say they have had enough promises of "jam tomorrow". A ballot in December, which attracted an 89% turnout of the plant's 400 T&G members, decisively rejected the pay offer.

Margaret Armstrong, T&G regional industrial organiser, said that workers in the company have seen their pay, shift premiums and allowances cut in recent years while the company has done nothing to deliver plant and job security. "Many people feel [the current offer] is actually a pay cut, as 2% of any increase is immediately taken up by higher pension contributions," she said.

While the T&G is hopeful of winning the Stoke ballot, which closes on 21 February, it has had to accept Michelin's pay offer at the Ballymena plant. Although union members rejected the offer in December, in a ballot last month they voted against a strike.

"The result makes clear that there is not sufficient support for industrial action," admitted regional industrial organiser Bobby Hanna. As in Dundee, job insecurity may have discouraged workers from striking; the union has been told that Ballymena is fifth lowest of Michelin's 20 tyre plants in terms of efficiency. "We are not happy with the deal but we believe major changes are on the way for Ballymena ... there is scope to improve efficiencies but only if the company makes sufficient investment in terms of better machinery," he added.