The GPMU claims there is the possibility of industrial action in its dispute with McCorquodale Confidential Print and sister company, Fencourt Printers.


The management teams would like to reduce wage by 10% at both companies and make 19 employees redundant (PrintWeek, 19 November).


GPMU national officer Ann Field said: "The company has gone ahead with the pay cuts in one of the companies and it seems like they'll implement it in the other one soon.


"It's being imposed on the workforce and people there are very worried and angry. The law states that it's illegal to simply cut wages without consent."
Field said the union had been working with the companies on the planned redundancies and that four workers had already agreed to a voluntary package.


"If the company is true to its word then all the redundancies will be voluntary and we'll work with them on that. But these wage cuts appear to be compulsory and we simply can't support them."


"It's like something from the Thatcher years. Most people thought that this kind of thing had disappeared now.
We advise our members to take this to tribunal or consider industrial action," Field added.


McCorquodale Confidential managing director Neil Jolley and Fencourt Printers managing director Richard Brame were unavailable for comment as PrintWeek went to press.


Story by John Davies.