UNISON members at Portway Lifestyle Centre and Tipton Leisure Centre will take strike action on Tuesday 14 December, in what now is the longest running industrial dispute in Sandwell’s history.
UNISON members at these two centres voted by 85% on an 83% turnout to continue their fight against being fired and rehired to remove them from national pay, terms and conditions.
UNISON members have already undertaken 3 one-day strikes in a dispute that has been ongoing for more than 12 months.
Tony Barnsley, Branch Secretary for Sandwell UNISON commented, ‘Our members are determined to continue their fight against being unnecessarily ‘fired and rehired’ against their will whilst the Trust still has £3.5million in the bank.
Despite not promising not to make any further changes to terms other than pay until March 2022, Management have now sent the trade unions proposals to make any COVID related absence count towards targets, and triggers. This proposal effectively breaks their own promise.
We call upon the Labour Council to intervene to avoid this unnecessary dispute running until the Commonwealth Games in 2022.’