Strike action suspended at BMW plants as company submits revised pension offer

Further industrial action by workers at BMW’s various production facilities in the UK is to be halted, the Unite union has confirmed.

A series of one and two-day stoppages over the course of the last month has impacted production at the four factories – which include the Hams Hall engine plant.

The strike action was implemented in a long-running dispute over plans by the manufacturer to close its final salary pension scheme at the end of this month.

Unite, which balloted its members over strike action in response to the move, said workers were at risk of losing thousands of pounds from their final settlements.

The suspension of the industrial action comes so union members can consider an offer from the company in regard to the pension scheme.

Three 24-hour strikes scheduled for Thursday (May 18), Sunday (May 21) and Wednesday May 24 have been suspended while workers at the MINI plant in Cowley, Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, Hams Hall and the MINI body panels factory in Swindon are balloted on the offer.

There have been four walkouts in recent weeks as part of the dispute, with the latest one on Tuesday (May 16) halting production at all four sites.

Fred Hanna, Unite national officer for BMW, said: “The planned strike action will be suspended while members consider BMW’s offer over the coming days.

“While Unite is not recommending the offer, as it will have different outcomes for different people and their pensions, members should be proud that by standing together they have forced BMW into making this offer.

“Without the action that Unite members have taken and the resolve they have shown in recent weeks, BMW would not have made this latest offer, which Unite believes members should have an opportunity to consider.”

The union said that as its members needed to consider the full implications of the offer, its details would not be made public, although it promised a further update once members had decided what they were going to do.

Unite members will now be consulted and the ballot is expected to run between May 24 and June 9.

In the meantime, the union said non-cooperation with flexible working arrangements would  remain in place until the outcome of the ballot.