Magazine Issue 7 - Spring 1998
Critchiey Labels

Chris lisley was forty years old, but had a mental age of 12. He loved his job - making labels for household appliances - in the Critchiey Labels factory in Gwent, South Wales. In fact, he loved his job so much that he always had to be forced to take his annual leave at the end of each year. Even then he often came in to work in a taxi, to eat dinner with his colleagues in the staff canteen.

He lived for his job and to be with us," lirecall fellow staff. "We had become part of his family - we were the people he wanted to be with." But in April 1996, the Critchley Labels management decided that as a cost-cutting exercise, staff would be appraised according to their attitude to the company, their willingness to re-train and their approach to change and flexibility - and the lowest-scoring 10 staff would be sacked.

One by one, the ten unwanted staff were asked to report to the conference room, where they were told they were no longer needed. They included the Branch Secretary and Branch Chairman of the Communication Workers Union, as well as a pregnant woman- and Chris. "You can imagine how difficult it was to explain he could no longer work with us.," remembers one Critchlcy employee. "He just couldn't understand and was sure he had done something wrong.

Chris was taken home to his mother - an old age pensioner suffering from osteoporosis and the early stages of Parkinson's disease. Devastated, she explained that she would not be able to cope if Chris lost his job. The management of Critchley Labels had an easy solution. "Put him in a home," they told her.

Then there was Gwynneth Morrison, a lady in her fifties who had 27 years service with the company. One year previously Gwynneth had applied for voluntary redundancy - had she been granted it, her payout would have been _26,000. But in July 1995 Gwynneth was refused voluntary redundancy on the grounds that her skills were needed to take the business forward.

Now, a mere twelve months later, she scored the same as Chris according to Critchley's appraisal criteria, and was made redundant for a mere _6,700. To its great credit, the Communication Workers Union refused to accept the validity of the sackings, and the cases went on to a tribunal. These were eventually heard in January 1997, but a decision was not reached until the end of April.

All bar two won unfair dismissal - but were awarded just two weeks pay as compensation, which on average totalled a paltry £200. Again, the union appealed - but because you can't appeal a 'win' unless a point of law has been broken, only two have gone ahead.

Meanwhile, the remaining employees of Critchley Labels sent in a request to tlie management, asking that future staffing changes be agreed in advance through consultation with the union.

The request was ignored, and in September 1997 a ballot was held for an overtime ban.

Following the unanimous agreement of all staff, the ban began in October. Faced with this challenge, Critchley management hit back and de-recognised the union. Again a ballot was held - and tbis time the result was unanimously in favqur of strike action. In an effort to convince the workforce to back down and accept the loss of their union, group 'briefings' were held. 'You're being set up and used as political pawns by the union', was the management line. 'You're putting our business in jeopardy.'

When the group briefings failed to elicit a response, staff were pressurised one by one to back down.

But still the strategy failed, and in January 1997 staff walked out for two days, followed by a week-long strike in February. During that strike, which began on 3 February 1997, the management at Critchley Labels sent letters to the entire workforce, threatening immediate dismissal unless each person returned to work. An emergency meeting was held, but - again unanimously - every staff member decided to stick it out. By 6pm on 6 February they had all been sacked for 'gross misconduct'. Thirty-one workers lost their jobs, with a combined total of 471 years service to the company. Since the sackings, the plant has been picketed every day, Monday to Friday, from 7.3Oam to 5.3Opm. The strikers have even mounted an irregular night-time picket in order to prevent out-of-hours deliveries.

Critchley has taken on agency workers - but morale is reported to be low, and staff turnover is high.

The Critchley Labels strikers are now taking their campaign to the national level, and are using their struggle to highlight the case for repeal of the Tory anti-union laws.

But New Labour's stance on workers' rights does not look promising, and the Critchley 31 need all the help they can get.

Please send letters of support and donations (cheques made out to 'Critchlcy Strikers Fighting Fund') to the address below.

Contact: Sue Hoskins, 54 Beech Grove, Oakdale, Blackwood, Gwent NP2 ONB