Solidarity with Sunvic Strikers

That the Parliament expresses its support for the strikers at Sunvic Controls, 39 women and three men who between them have 1000 years’ service with the company and who are members of AMICUS and the TGWU; notes that the company wishes to change the contracts of the predominantly female group of staff so that they can be laid off without pay at the discretion of management, despite the fact that the company has publicly stated that it is in the strongest position it has been in for five years; also notes that these workers are only paid £6.22 per hour, with no career progression and no wage rise for four years; further notes with extreme concern that there are two bargaining units at the plant, the predominantly female, low-paid one, which has been targeted for contractual change, and one which is for the “skilled” all-male group of workers, which has not been targeted; believes that the company has picked a fight with the women in a discriminatory and exploitative manner; deplores the entrenched low pay and the behaviour of the management of Sunvic; commends the solidarity, strength and determination of the strikers, and calls on management to enter into meaningful negotiations that will settle the dispute to the satisfaction of the strikers and their trade union representatives.