Scottish Missile Depot Workers Escalate Strike Action in Pay Dispute
Workers at a Ministry of Defence (MoD) missile depot in Scotland have voted to escalate their strike action in a pay dispute. Members of GMB Scotland at the munitions complex in Beith, North Ayrshire, which supplies missiles to Ukraine, will go on strike for two weeks starting from August 21. The union has warned that the strike will disrupt shipments from the complex, which is operated by Defence, Equipment & Support. However, the MoD has stated that it will have no effect on our ability to provide capability to Ukraine, despite calls from a Ukrainian MP to resolve the dispute.
The decision to escalate the strike follows four days of targeted strikes, which failed to achieve a resolution. The workers claim that a two-tier culture has emerged at the depot, with the pay gap between craft workers who assemble the munitions and non-craft colleagues who support their work expanding to £18,000. According to the union, managers and craft workers have received additional payments and bonuses in recent years, while non-craft colleagues earning less than £21,000 a year have not.
Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, emphasized the need for fairness: Our members are doing important and responsible jobs and simply want that work to be fairly recognized. Instead, they have seen the gap between their salaries and that of their colleagues stretch wider and wider. Gilmour added that the workers’ role is critical to the effective operation of the facility and called for their support to be acknowledged.
Several Members of Parliament have written to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, urging him to intervene and seek a resolution. Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko also called on the depot’s managers to quickly negotiate an end to the dispute, highlighting the significance of the work being done by the GMB Scotland members in assisting Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
In response, an MoD spokesperson stated that the strikes would not impact their ability to provide capability to Ukraine. The spokesperson added, We remain open to dialogue with GMB to discuss the issues raised and work towards resolving them. Contingency measures are being implemented at Defence Munitions Beith to ensure the continued safe and compliant operation of the site.
The strike action at the Scottish missile depot reflects the ongoing dispute over pay inequality and the recognition of non-craft colleagues. As the standoff continues, it remains to be seen whether these workers’ demands for fairness will be addressed and whether the disruption caused by the strikes will prompt a resolution to the pay dispute.
