Patience wearing thin on the shopfloor

We're seeing more cases of workers' wages and salaries falling behind after rounds of pay freezes, and many workers have shown great tolerance and flexibility, in some cases foregoing pay increases, to help a struggling employer. One example of this is at printing company Wyndeham Impact at Basingstoke. The group was caught up in the Icelandic banking crisis and some skilled workers made salary sacrifices of up to £85 a week to help the business. They now feel betrayed as they believe the gesture has gone unrecognised and the company is looking to make further changes to working conditions and has enacted compulsory job losses. Last month also saw workers vote for strike action at Fujitsu in Manchester over the company's failure to honour working agreements. Nobody wants clashes like these to escalate and I believe there are a number of things both sides could do. Firstly companies must honour agreements. It's no good asking your workers to make a sacrifice when times are tough if you don't recognise this when things pick up. Businesses have also got to be consistent and transparent. We've heard accounts of employees being asked to take pay freezes or accept cuts – only to turn up for work and find the directors have a fleet of new company cars. There doesn't have to be an 'us and them' attitude. The best manufacturing businesses form a collaborative partnership with their employees built on recognition and trust. Just take a look at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which has just announced a new engine plant near Wolverhampton. This fantastic news is the culmination of 18 months' hard work by the workforce, Unite, JLR chiefs, the local council and MP. These parties worked as a team to ensure a competitive labour agreement that paved the way for a new plant. It just shows you that employees don't have to be at loggerheads with employers. When the two sides work together as a team it can be a win-win for everyone.