Bromley libraries picket line 3 April, photo London Socialist Party

Bromley libraries picket line 3 April, photo London Socialist Party   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Workers at all 14 of Bromley’s libraries started indefinite strike action on 28 March over a “paltry and insulting” pay offer.

The strike by the 36 workers comes after the breakdown of pay talks between Unite the Union and Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL), which runs the library service on behalf of Bromley council.

Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said: “This is the best response to the Tory anti-trade union laws, a 100% yes vote which smashes the threshold target for turnout but even more importantly says that we will stay out until we win.

“GLL are the worst kind of employer. Appalling terms and conditions, harsh financial penalties for sickness absence and a history of using zero-hour contracts. Unite members are out to win this dispute and will do all that we can to use it to highlight that social enterprise organisations are not a soft option to privatisation.”

A Unite member