Union claims Camelon coach builder has "fuelled the flames" in pay dispute

Around 400 Unite members based at the firm’s Camelon site are in the midst of a fortnight-long strike which ends on Sunday, December 17.

The workers walked out in the pay dispute on Monday, December 4.

The union, which represents coach builders and spray painters at the factory, said this week that the company had offered employees a further 0.5 per cent on the 2023 wage offer to increase it to 4.5 per cent, and four per cent in total for 2024. This offer was emphatically rejected by the workforce by 81.4 per cent.

The ongoing industrial action is a result of workers at ADL rejecting previous pay offers that amounted to a real terms pay cut.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Unite’s membership at Alexander Dennis will not be fooled by tokenistic gestures on the part of the company. Management need to stop playing games and make an offer that meets the expectations of workers. The workers at Alexander Dennis have Unite’s unyielding support during their ongoing strike action in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”

Pat Egan, Unite industrial officer, said: “The pay dispute with Alexander Dennis is in danger of seriously escalating. Instead of helping to resolve this dispute the company has fuelled the flames. By adding virtually nothing to the pay offer all Alexander Dennis has done is stiffen the resolve of our members and infuriated the workforce even further.”

Unite said the door remains open for talks at any time with ADL management to resolve the issue before it escalates.

A spokesperson for Alexander Dennis said: “We are extremely disappointed that the unions representing our Falkirk factory are continuing with their industrial action. Our latest offer would take the hourly rate of a vehicle builder to £19.04 by April 2024, considerably higher than our primary domestic competitor, reflecting the high regard we have for the skills of our workforce.

“We have taken every measure possible over the past few years to retain as many highly skilled jobs as possible. Despite the challenges that the bus manufacturing industry continues to navigate, we have invested heavily in upgraded facilities and new products that will underpin our long-term future. However, we also must recognise that we operate in a highly commercial environment with ongoing competitive pressure from manufacturers in lower-security economies.

“Here in the UK, we do not have the benefit of protectionist policies and indeed in some cases we are held to a higher standard than importers. This remains the case despite our continued calls for a level playing field and for recognition of the vital role that we can play to support the country’s decarbonisation ambitions as well as to sustain and grow skilled jobs.”