"They're going to have to give in because we won't. There's different people turning up each week who weren't here at the beginning," said Linda Greenhalgh. She explained that although the strike was solidly supported by union members from the start, picketing was now becoming more popular.

A handful of workers left the union early in the strike, but strikers were heartened that some others joined them. "At first we could only stand at this gate, but now we can go to the other gates as well. That stops them from sneaking round."

The mood of the 30 or so pickets was buoyant. "Feelings are running very high," said Carole Francis, who has worked at the factory for 27 years. "We know now they're making a lot of money, but it's not showing on the shop floor. They've even stopped the sick pay for strikers," she said.

The bosses offered a 2 percent pay raise and improvements to the sick pay scheme. The pay increase would be retroactive to last July, but the bosses recently threatened strikers with losing the lump sum payment of back wages if the dispute continued.

This has hardened workers' attitudes, with many saying that since they received the letter they have become more determined to stay out as long as it takes. "The back pay is quite a lot of money," said Francis. "But its not about money now, it's about dignity."

Debbie Delange is a member of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home