Unite told Printweek the dispute at the diary specialist originates from early 2021 when the members were told there was nothing in the pot for a pay rise and that the chapel committee were not invited into pay talks to debate or negotiate this for themselves.

The members were offended as they felt they had acted in good faith in 2020, by not asking for anything, prioritising working safely and getting through the coronavirus pandemic together, and hoped this would be reciprocated by the company.

After Unite pressed the business to engage, an offer of 1% was made and rejected by the members. A second offer was then made for 2.5%, and this was again rejected.

Unite then went to industrial action ballot and, when this was open, FLB made a third offer. This was for 2.75% on the FLB union members' 'house rate', which Unite said includes everything that is pensionable and that their overtime rate applies to.

This house rate equates to what used to be around two-thirds of their wage but that has increased over time and is currently just over that, while the remaining proportion of their wage is made up of a top-up supplement.

Unite said FLB's third offer was proposed as a two-year deal, with only 2% on the house rate in 2022/23 but using £10 out of the supplement and moving it into the house rate.

Unite delayed taking any industrial action and ran another consultative ballot which was again rejected. It currently has the disputes team engaged “to raise awareness and support” and to give the business another opportunity to meet the demands of the 6% pay claim. Unite said it has not heard from FLB.

In a statement sent out last month, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For too long employers have felt bold enough to attack workers’ wages, terms and conditions relentlessly while at the same time their own salaries and pensions soared on the profits.

“Well that era is coming to an end. Ballot after ballot result is showing workers, like those at FLB, feel emboldened to fight back. Unite is determined to defend the jobs, wages and conditions of our members so Unite will support the FLB workers all the way.”

At the time, Unite regional officer Carrie Binnie added: “Unite members at FLB have, through loyalty and professionalism, endured paltry pay increases for years and they have simply had enough.

“If FLB management think that those at the top deserve the lion’s share of the profits while the workers get the crumbs, then they should think again. The tide is set to turn.

“This company has a healthy order book and we believe it is in a position to improve the offer made to our members. But make no mistake, our members are up for the fight so management should think carefully when they table their offer, or rest assured they will have a dispute on their hands.”

FLB declined to comment when approached by Printweek.

The Unite members at the Dalkeith site set up a Twitter account earlier this month, to support their campaign. It had 86 followers at the time of writing.

A tweet posted yesterday (21 December) included a statement from one of the workers at the site, who said: “As workers we have been undervalued by our employer for far too long, we deserve a fair and decent pay rise”.

FLB Group managing director Susan Graham was recently appointed as the president of Print Scotland.