NSK staff go on strike in Newark

More than 80 staff at Newark's NSK ball bearings factory on Northern Road went on strike over redundancies and contract changes.

The strike, which is thought to be the first since 1987 at NSK, began on Thursday night and was due to end on Saturday.

Mr Steve Syson of the Unite union met with NSK representatives the day before the strike began to try to reach an agreement, without success.

The planned strike comes after staff were told up to 19 redundancies will be made in the Super Precision plant and some contracts will be changed due to fluctuating demand for products.

Contractual changes include getting rid of the majority of paid overtime for workers in production. Instead, workers would bank a maximum of 100 hours' overtime over a financial year that could be taken as holiday.

Anyone who goes over 100 hours would be paid overtime from that point.

Those required to work weekends would still be paid at the usual overtime rates of time-and-a-half or double-time.

Mr Syson said he offered to meet the company half way with a 50 banked hours system, but it was refused.

"I have met with NSK several times and a number of different offers have been made, which were all refused by the company," he said.

"I first pitched a 37 banked hours system and then a two-year contract where there would be a 50 banked hours system over two years."

Mr Syson said the latest industrial action showed how fed-up people had become with the proposed working conditions at the company.

"These people are not militants - their family lives and everyday lives will be affected by the changes," he said.

An employee of 35 years, who did not want to be named, said: "I understand why they want to start a banked hours system but there won't be enough control for staff over what hours we do.

"It will have financial implications because we will be losing out on money."

Another employee said: "I have a young family and I physically cannot work the banked hours system because they are too unpredictable".

Mr Syson said more strikes were planned for the future, and he would be writing to NSK requesting another meeting.

In a letter to staff ahead of the strike, NSK said that due to a reduction in workload now and into the next financial year, the plant was forecast to lose more than one million euros per annum.

A spokesman for NSK said: "We don’t want any of our employees to go out on a strike which won’t benefit them, their families or our ability to compete against overseas competition for markets in a time of reduced demand.

"We continue to be ready to talk, but for certainty in managing the business we must continue to implement the scheme in line with our formal notification to all parties."