New Revised Pay Offer To Be Put To GMB Members At JJB Sports Wigan On Monday

In talks between GMB and JJB Sports Chief Executive Mr Tom Knight, during yesterday's and today's strike at the warehouse, the company has tabled a revised pay offer. The new offer now in writing deals with the issue of the basic rate and access to bonus for all workers in the depot.

The revised offer will be put to 280 GMB members at a mass meeting in the warehouse at 11.00am Monday 20^th November. It will then be put to members in a ballot vote after that meeting. GMB negotiators are recommending acceptance of the offer.

The first strike day next week on Tuesday 21 has been suspended. The strikes for Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 November 2006 are still on pending the outcome of the ballot vote. The work to rule and overtime ban are still ongoing.

The Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate are today interviewing 3 local Wigan agencies. See Note 1 for names. GMB has supplied information to the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate regarding agency labour being used by JJB Sports during strike days and during the rest of the week to deal with the backlog as a result of the strike. The agencies are aware of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003 which makes it illegal for agencies to supply labour to companies during a trade dispute.

Graham Coxon GMB Regional Officer who led the negotiations with Mr Knights said,  "GMB has today received a revised written pay offer from Mr Knight which the union can recommend to our members in JJB Sports. GMB will put the offer to the members on Monday next and they will make the decision as the whether they will accept it and call off the dispute. If accepted the offer will be backdated to 1 August 2006.

During this dispute GMB has carefully monitoring the illegal strikebreaking activities of the 3 local employment agencies. We want these activities stopped  in this and future disputes. We want the agencies punished for breaking the law. We will not rest until EAS takes action. The agencies are being interviewed by EAS today.

When this dispute is over GMB will raise question about how EAS does it's job. GMB members are far from satisfied that we are in the third week of the dispute before EAS took action

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Contact:  Graham Coxon , GMB Lancashire Regional Officer on 07740 804064 or Steve Pryle, GMB Press Officer on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy, GMB Press Officer on on 07974 251823.

Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate (EAS)  0845 9555105.

Bond Personnel 01942 743270, Heads Personnel 0161 746 8811, Lightyear 01942 511159.

Notes to Editors:

1 The agencies supplying labour to JJB Sports are Heads Recruitment, Bond Personnel and Lightyear Recruitment Limited. (Contact details above). Light Year Recruitment is jointly owned by David Speedie ex. Liverpool, Chelsea, Blackburn and Coventry footballer.