Strike Ballot Readied by UK Unions at Imerys

Strike ballot preparation by Transport & General members in the UK began last week at two sites of French-based Imerys. Imerys late last year unilaterally closed off the final pension scheme to new workers and changed the accrual rate for existing workers that effectively downgrades their benefit levels. Some 2,500 workers are involved. T&G said Imerys took a pension holiday between 2000 and 2003 that turned a large pension surplus into a deficit. If no move is made by Imerys to reverse its pension takeaways, the two workplaces in Devon and Cornwall could face strikes by mid-May.