Britain鈥檚 biggest union, Unite, is balloting members at Ainscough for strike action and action short of strike, after talks failed to reach agreement in a pay dispute.
The ballot opens on Thursday 10th December and closes at noon on Monday 11th January 2016.聽聽
The company鈥檚 revised two-year pay offer of 2.5% and 2.75% was overwhelmingly rejected by the union鈥檚 crane operator members, with 85% voting to reject the new deal in a recent consultative ballot.
Ainscough has a fleet of more than 450 cranes operating from a network of 30 depots. It has more than 900 employees, of whom approximately 500 are in crane operations.
Bernard McAulay, Unite national officer for construction said: 鈥淪adly, despite repeated attempts and long drawn out negotiations to resolve the pay dispute, we have been left with no option but to move to a full industrial action ballot.
鈥淥ur members have a fantastic track record. They consistently deliver across all industrial sectors in some of the most difficult working environments, helping to make Ainscough the envy of the UK crane industry. Now is the time for the company to recognise their contribution and step back from the brink.
鈥淭he last thing our members want to do is take strike action. The company鈥檚 continued refusal to recognise their invaluable contribution to Ainscough鈥檚 success is the final straw.
鈥淢orale is plummeting. Our members are angry that the company can boast of making a 拢14 m profit last year and yet ignore their calls for a decent and affordable pay rise. The longer the company ignores their case, the more damaging the dispute will be.鈥澛�
Ainscough was built up into the UK鈥檚 biggest mobile crane hire company in the 1990s by the Ainscough family before a management buyout in 2007. In 2012 it was bought by private equity firm TPG and Goldman Sachs. In March 2015 there was another change of owner with a take-over by US-based Oaktree Capital Management.
Unrest among the workforce comes as the company sets out on an acquisitions spree under its new owners. It has just completed the takeover of聽Specialist Crane Hire, which has depots in Morecambe, Wigan and Bishop Auckland.聽
鈥淎cquisitions are a key part of our five-year plan," said Ainscough managing director Robin Richardson, 鈥渁nd we are delighted to make such an excellent acquisition at the beginning of this process鈥�.
Legacy crane hire companies (or their assets) within Specialist Crane Hire include A Jardine & Sons, Marsden Crane Hire, Steel Force Bowmech, Telford Crane Hire and Rushlift.
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