Bromley library workers will strike continuously from Thursday 6 June to demand full staffing of Bromley’s libraries.

The strike is also part of a campaign by Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, to give a big pay boost to workers employed by social enterprise leisure services’ giant Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).

The 50 library staff, who are employed by GLL, voted by 98 per cent to strike on pay and also on issues specifically relating over the running of Bromley’s 14 libraries.

The Bromley dispute relates to GLL bosses not filling vacant posts; asking staff to be managers without paying the proper rate for the job; and failing to pay wages owed.

Unite is seeking a six per cent increase in basic pay from April 2019 for its hundreds of members working for GLL in more than 140 leisure centres and libraries in 16 London boroughs, as well as in Belfast.

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “The near unanimous vote for strike action by our Bromley library members sends a strong message to GLL bosses that: ‘Enough is enough’.

“Our members will walk out on 6 June and strike until a settlement is reached – this action will lead to the closure of the borough’s 14 libraries.

“We regret the inconvenience this will cause the public, but this strike has been a long time coming caused by the profit-hungry GLL with a management committed to ruthlessly salami-slicing our members’ pay and employment conditions.

“The evidence for this is incontrovertible - GLL promised the Tory-controlled Bromley council that it would implement library service cuts of over 25 per cent if it were awarded the contract to run this much-loved public service.

“Generally, profitable Greenwich Leisure Limited has a poor reputation as an employer and is always looking to maximise profits at the expense of the dedicated workforce which ensures the smooth running of leisure centres and libraries across the UK on a daily basis.

“GLL still has time before the Bromley strike starts on 6 June to sit down and talk with Unite to resolve these outstanding issues – Unite is standing by for such negotiations.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Unite has said its campaign is the first time that there has been a coordinated pay campaign at GLL, bringing together all the London contracts

and Belfast.

and Belfast. The London boroughs with GLL contracts are: Barnet, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Lambeth, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth.Last year, Unite staged a campaign to make GLL pay the London Living Wage (LLW) to those aged 18-to-20 on a number of its contracts in the capital.

For more information please contact Unite senior communications officer Shaun Noble on 020 3371 2060 or 07768 693940. Unite press office is on: 020 3371 2065 or email: shaun.noble@unitetheunion.org