Workers at a British military facility in Scotland have gone on strike over pay issues, potentially affecting deliveries of cutting-edge missiles to Ukraine.
A July 14 piece by the Daily Mirror reported on the strike, which involved more than 50 employees part of the GMB labor union at the British military depot in the Scottish town of Beith. The facility, operated by Defense Equipment & Support (DE&S), an entity under the British Ministry of Defense (MoD), supplies Storm Shadow and Brimstone Missiles to Ukraine. British defense officials are now scrambling to take "contingency measures" to keep the weapons flowing, the Mirror added.
According to Russia Today, the dispute between the MoD and the workers at the Beith DE&S depot stemmed from the pay gap between the two categories of workers at the facility. Those who assemble the missiles, called craft workers, receive an hourly rate of £16.82 ($21.79). They also receive bonuses and allowances that rack up to a total yearly salary of £38,000 ($49,217.60).
Non-craft workers, those who move the weapons, only receive an hourly rate of £10.42 ($13.50) – just under the living wage of £10.90 ($14.12) an hour in the United Kingdom. They do not receive bonuses, unlike the first category, putting their annual salary at just £20,500 ($26,551.60).
One source who spoke to the Mirror said people driving explosives are paid less than those moving groceries around a supermarket. They continued: "Basically, the non-craft workers could earn more at [supermarket chain] Lidl, at around £11 ($14.25) an hour."
Ninety-three percent of GMB members at the Beith DE&S depot supported the strike, the first since the depot's creation in 1943. Strike organizer Chris Kennedy called on British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to intervene, warning that "supplies of the crucial missiles manufactured at Beith will soon run low" if no action is done.
The source, who spoke to the Mirror, also shared the same sentiment. They warned that if the strike continues for long, it "could have implications for missiles" going to Ukraine or the British Royal Navy's base at Faslane. Also located in Scotland, the Faslane base holds the U.K.'s nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.
Despite this, a spokesperson for the MoD said the development will not affect shipments.
Missiles made at DE&S depot reportedly used against civilians
According to Sky News, the British government provided a total of £2.3 billion ($2.98 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine. This comprises more than 100,000 anti-tank missiles; 100,000 artillery rounds; more than 100 anti-aircraft guns; and self-propelled artillery. The British military has also trained more than 15,000 Ukrainian recruits. (Related: UK to send nearly $1.2 billion more in military aid to Ukraine.)
The outlet added that Downing Street has committed to matching this amount in 2023. However, the strike at the Beith military depot threatens to delay these commitments.
In May, Wallace confirmed that the U.K. sent Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine. These missiles have a range of more than 155 miles (250 kilometers), more than thrice the range of the U.S.-made HIMARS missiles at 50 mi (80 km). According to the British defense secretary, the missiles will give Kyiv the "best chance" of defending itself against "Russian forces based on Ukrainian sovereign territory."
Meanwhile, the Russian government has alleged that the Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles made at the depot were used by Kyiv to strike civilian targets. According to Moscow officials, the Storm Shadow missiles were fired at two civilian plants in the Luhansk territory in May. The attack injured several people, including six children.
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Watch this video about an intact Storm Shadow missile falling in the hands of Russian forces.
This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.
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