Members of Unite the Union employed – or formerly employed – by Glasgow East Women’s Aid (GEWA) begin a campaign of rolling strike action and protests on Friday 1 December.
The dispute began when Unite members in GEWA lodged a collective grievance about bullying in the workplace. Management’s response was to suspend all thirteen signatories to the grievance. Which kind of proved their point.
The mass suspensions deprived service-users and would-be service-users of support from GEWA.
GEWA’s offices have been closed for over eight weeks. Vulnerable service-users have been directed to an emergency phone number. Women and children who were receiving one-to-one support have been left with no support and no explanation.
A ballot on industrial action was initiated, and GEWA was given the legally required seven days notice of the ballot. Two days later, five of the thirteen Unite members were sacked.
The five had one thing in common: Unlike the other eight, they all had less than two years service.
GEWA was therefore not required to give them any reasons for their dismissal. And, under “normal circumstances”, they would have no right to take GEWA to an Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal.
Interim relief
But claiming unfair dismissal for trade-union-related activities does not require two years service. Unite has therefore lodged Tribunal claims on that basis. It has also applied for interim relief.
If successful, the interim relief claim would mean that the five sacked workers would continue to be paid their salary until the time of the Employment Tribunal hearing for unfair dismissal, but would not work during that time and still count as dismissed employees.
The ballot produced a 100% vote in favour of strike action and industrial action short of strike action.
Strikes every Monday and Friday, commencing 1 December, have been scheduled until Christmas. Picket lines will be held at starting and finishing times.
It is certainly important to put pressure on GEWA stakeholders, such as Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government. It is at least equally important is to build support for the dispute among other Unite members, especially in the Not for Profit Sector.
The suspensions and dismissals might appear to be an appalling way to treat staff. In fact, they are. But they express an ethos of hostility to trade unionism and workers rights which is all too common across the Not for Profit Sector.