British employees at BMW’s Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicle plants are to be balloted for strike action over strategies by the automaker to close the company’s final wage pension schemes, Britain’s most significant trade union stated on Friday.
BMW wishes to close two final salary plans and move all staff to less generous pension arrangement which new starters have become part of, since 2014.
Employees backed strike action in a consultative ballot which occurred in 2016 with a new vote for industrial action to start shortly whilst talks continue with the company.
“BMW bosses would do well to follow the growing sense of betrayal over their broken pension guarantees, which have already seen 96 per cent of employees stating they would take industrial action in a consultative ballot,” Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey stated.
Approximately 4,500 Unite members workers who belong to the BMW occupational pension plan at 5 British sites, consisting of the company’s vehicle plants, are due to be balloted from March 10, with the vote due to close on March 31.
