UNISON's Sodexho members at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary are celebrating a wonderful victory today after achieving their objectives of £5 an hour minimum, backdated, and a phased return to NHS terms and conditions of employment by no later than 1/4/2004, guaranteed. This includes major concessions up front of;
Members agreed to accept the offer made by Sodexho management yesterday (Monday) following a day of negotiations. Sodexho management tabled four offers in the course of the day, with the fourth offer being accepted at a jubilant mass meeting.
This means that the strike action due to take place from today has been suspended. Carolyn Leckie, UNISON Branch Secretary said, "This was a sweeping victory for Trade Union organisation. We first submitted the claim with a membership of 120. We balloted 222 and now have 342 members, well over 90% density and many new but now invaluable activists. This was a David and Goliath battle between the lowest paid workers and a brutal multi-national who pulled out all the stops to defeat us. They failed."
Frank Morgan, Sodexho Stewards' Convenor, was ecstatic. "We've been kept down, exploited and bullied for profit for too long. Now that we've won, Sodexho will know they won't get away with it ever again."
The strikers would also like to express their thanks to all the staff, visitors, fellow UNISON members, trade unionists, community activists and MSP's who not only supported them on strike days, but contributed by their presence and their financial donations, to the success of the dispute. As the slogan at the top of the page says 'SOLIDARITY FOREVER - the union makes us strong'!