SHIPYARD workers in Glasgow are to go on strike in a dispute over pay.
Contractors working on the new type 26 frigate being built at the BAE Systems yards in Govan and Scotstoun will go on strike for 10 days from the middle of January to the end of March, Unite said on Thursday.
They are employed by CBL Cable Contractors to build the Royal Navy warship, due to be in operation by the mid 2030s.
Unite said the company is not paying them the same rate as workers directly employed by BAE Systems and the workers want either parity or an additional £1 per hour on top of the current rates of pay.
The current rates of pay are not known.
Unite said the dispute also involved travel related payments workers are due.
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham (below) said: “The CBL Cable workers are fully entitled to equal treatment at the Govan and Scotstoun yards. The company should stop paying lip service to the national agreement and immediately start paying the rate.
“Our members have their union’s full support in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Stevie Dillon, Unite regional coordinator, added: “CBL Cable workers are fully prepared to go on strike to get the ‘shipyard rate’. They shouldn’t need to go on strike to get what they are owed, but make no mistake, they are fully prepared to fight for what they should be automatically getting.
“We would urge CBL Cable Contractors and BAE Systems to get back round the table to resolve this dispute before it further escalates.”
The UK Ministry of Defence awarded a £4.2 billion contract to BAE Systems in November 2022 to manufacture the next five City Class Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy in Glasgow.
The contract is estimated to sustain more than 4000 jobs across BAE Systems and the wider UK maritime supply chain.
A BAE Systems spokesperson said: "This is a matter between CBL, its employees and Unite.
"We have contingency plans in place to ensure sustained safe and secure operations at our site.”
CBL Cable Contractors were approached for comment.
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