THE Unite union representing workers employed by DHL Services at Spirit Aerosystems has confirmed a one-week strike will commence next Monday at sites across the north.
Unite members working for DHL Services on the Shorts site voted with an 84 per cent ballot majority for strike action after rejecting an "inadequate" four per cent pay offer from management.
The union claims DHL workers elsewhere in Northern Ireland have received higher pay offers than those working on the Spirit Aerosystems contract, pointing to its members in Scotland winning a double-digit improved pay offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “At a time when inflation is running at 11.8 per cent and is set to rise to further before the end of the year, a four per cent offer is an insult.
“If the government inflation forecasts are correct, it will leave workers’ real incomes almost 14 per cent lower going forward. That’s a huge deterioration to living standards.”
DHL Supply Chain Ltd, which owns DHL Services, reported profits of £33.8 million for 2021 and its ultimate owner Deutsch Post DHL group boasted profits of £1.86 billion for an ‘excellent opening quarter’ in 2022.
Unite regional coordinating officer Susan Fitzgerald added: “This dispute is a clear example of workers defending themselves against corporate greed. Why are DHL trying to short-change their workforce at Spirit Aerosystems?”