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Defence agency workers to vote on strike action over pay

By Nithya Bose in Business News, posted February 18, 2024

Employees at a defence agency are set to vote on potential strike action due to a pay dispute.

Members of the Prospect union, representing staff at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), plan to vote shortly on whether to start a campaign of action.

The union has expressed dissatisfaction with the agency's decision to enforce a pay increase of 3.25 percent or less for 2023-2024.

The union claims it was unilaterally imposed without agreement.

Prospect has advised its members to vote to strike and undertake actions short of a strike.

DE&S oversees procurement and support programs for the UK's military forces, including the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.

Its main office is at the MoD’s Abbey Wood site in Bristol.

Prospect General Secretary, Mike Clancy, said: “Our members at DE&S are committed experts dedicated to keeping our country safe in an increasingly dangerous world.

“Yet instead of recognising their invaluable work, their employer is attempting to impose another significant cut in pay, with an offer below that negotiated elsewhere in the public sector, and far below their private sector counterparts.

“Industrial action is always a last resort. It is not too late for the employer to come back to the table and make a better offer.”

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