Unite members at Govan and Reading plants back action after rejecting pay offer 

 
Unite has confirmed that 300 workers employed by defence manufacturer Thales have overwhelmingly backed industrial action in an escalating pay dispute.
 
Hundreds of Unite members based at the Thales’ sites in Govan, Glasgow and dozens in the company’s Reading headquarters overwhelmingly supported strike action after rejecting a pay offer below the current rate of inflation. 
 
Forthcoming talks with the company are scheduled in a final attempt to reach a resolution before strike action is announced.
 
Thales remains the sole supplier of periscopes and optronics masts to the Royal Navy. The company has record levels of orders with the Ministry of Defence recently announcing export deals for Thales worth £1.1 billion sustaining hundreds of jobs in Glasgow. 
 
The workers involved in the ballot include electronics, software and systems engineers along with manufacturing and mechanical technicians.
 
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Thales is an extremely profitable company who could end this dispute at any moment. It can easily afford a fair pay increase for their skilled and valuable workforce who are the ones helping to make huge profits for the company. Instead, Thales is putting greed above treating its workforce with decency.”
  
Thales UK registered £179.3 million in combined operating profits in 2023 and 2024.   
 
Unite regional coordinator Elaine Dougall said: “Thales has been refusing to meaningfully negotiate in good faith. It will have one last chance before our members take to the picket line.
 
“The ball is in Thales’ court it can resolve this dispute by making an acceptable offer to our members. If it does not, then our members will take to the picket lines in the coming weeks.”
 
ENDS
 
Notes to Editors
 
For media enquiries contact: Andrew Brady on 07810 157922 or andrew.brady@unitetheunion.org 
 
Unite Scotland is the country’s biggest and most diverse trade union with around 150,000 members.