Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Strike at freight firm
Staff angry over ‘habitual bully’
Dozens of furious workers at a Coatbridge freight firm have taken strike action amid claims of bullying and harrassment by a senior member of staff.
Picketing employees at Freightliner Ltd are demanding the“habitual bully”be relocated from the depot and cite a recent“assault”incident as the“final straw”.
One worker told the Advertiser:“This has been going on for years. It’s one rule for him and another for us. Well, enough is enough.”
Disgruntled employees of Freightliner’s Coatbridge branch staged a strike on Monday and called for the relocation of a senior staff member whom they claim “assaulted” a colleague.
Workers say they’ve been “forced” into taking industrial action because of the actions of the “intimidating and habitual bully”.
Around 50 staff members formed a picket line outside Gartsherrie’s Freightliner facility throughout the day and were supported by MSPs Elaine Smith and Fulton MacGregor.
Representatives from RMT, Britain’s trade union for rail, maritime and transport workers, also manned the picket line which lasted until 6am yesterday.
The union’s regional organiser Michael Hogg told the Advertiser: “We want this manager removed from the Coatbridge branch.
“He is the one responsible for this dispute and the only answer is to get rid of him.
“He has continually bullied and harassed RMT members in Coatbridge for years and this incident is the straw that’s broken the camel’s back. “If he is not relocated then the company are sticking twofingers up at employees who work hard as it is not acceptable to work in an intimidating environment.”
Elaine Smith MSP, who also acts as the convenor of the RMT parliamentary group, said: “I am here in solidarity with the RMT members from Coatbridge who are on strike.
“They feel very strongly for it to have escalated to this level.
“If it was an ordinary worker who had done this then it would be getting treated very differently by Freightliner.
“Nobody wants to strike but a resolution needs to be found and I believe that is the relocation of this senior member of staff.”
Freightliner, one of the UK’s leading bulk rail freight companies, drafted in staff from other depots in an attempt to maintain its operation during the industrial action.
A worker who wished to remain anonymous explained the main reason for the strike. He said: “Employees aren’t allowed mobile phones in the workplace but this gaffer recently alleged somebody was using theirs.
“He pulled a lad into his office and accused him of having a phone in his pocket, which the employee denied.
“But he wouldn’t take no for an answer and began feeling the poor lad’s leg to try and find the nonexistent phone.
“The employee was shocked and told him ‘you shouldn’t be doing that’, but instead of stopping he grabbed his other leg.
“The worker was quite shaken up that his boss had done that and I don’t blame him.
“He picked his victim carefully as if it was anyone else he would have been thumped.”
Another striker said: “This guy is a loose-cannon and very unpredictable.
“He’s well known for having a bad manner and his bullying has gone on for years.
“This incident has just brought it to a head and everyone is standing by our colleague.”
The Advertiser understands that the manager in question has been placed on gardening leave but is due to return to work today.
The RMT’s Michael Hogg added: “The next step we will take to ensure our members get the necessary result from their industrial acton is to write to Freightliner’s owners in the United States.
“We’ll continue to meet with our members at Freightliner and up the ante until the company sees sense.
“The only option is relocation and to allow our members to work in a comfortable environment without this bully.”
Freightliner has been contacted for comment.