Siemens Gamesa’s UK Blade Factory Workers Secure Pay Deal, Drop Strike Plan

August 6, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

An industrial action of Siemens Gamesa’s employees in the company’s Hull offshore wind blade factory has been called off as the UK union Unite secured a pay rise worth 8.4 per cent.

On 12 July, Unite said around 300 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine workers in Hull were being balloted for strike action over pay.

“The workers, who construct 108 metre long wind turbine blades by hand, are angry at a 4.5 per cent pay offer plus an opaque incentive scheme. Since 2018, wages at the factory on the banks of the Humber estuary have dropped by 11.9 per cent in real terms. This is due to below RPI inflation pay rises and the suppression of wages through a performance related bonus scheme,” the union said in July.

Unite pointed out that the company’s revenue was expected to double in 2024 to GBP 1.5 billion (around EUR 1.7 billion), with pre-tax profits on course to hit GBP 100 million (around EUR 116 million) for the year.

The strikes were planned to start after the ballot was completed on 24 July which would have severely impacted operations at the Hull blade factory and caused significant disruption to the construction of the East Anglia Three and Moray West offshore wind farms, according to the union.

However, through negotiations with Siemens Gamesa, the union managed to secure a pay deal the majority of the workers in the Hull factory agreed to, which includes a 4.5 per cent increase for 2024 and 3.9 per cent for 2025.

“The deal was secured without the need for industrial action following constructive negotiations with the company,” Unite said on 5 August.