Iain Dalton, Leeds and West Yorkshire Socialist Party
Mouldy coffee machines, lumpy milk and out-of-date food were among the things that catering workers at Drax power station found when they returned to work after their fortnight of strike action in December.
Bosses at contractor Baxter Storey, which runs Drax’s catering services, claimed that services would run as normal during the strike. But like employers the world over, they have found that it is workers who keep things running.
Since then, Unite members have taken a further week of strike action in January, with another fortnight commencing on 22 January.
From refusing to recognise the union, Baxter Storey have now committed to voluntary recognition and a one-off payment of £380. This has been rejected by union members as inadequate.
Baxter Storey pay workers the Living Wage Foundation ‘living wage’, but only six months after the yearly increase has been introduced. Workers are demanding they get the uplift straight away.
