BOSCH workers in Scotland are set to begin strike action today against a massive real-terms pay cut that leaves them £7,000 worse off, according to Unite. 

The union’s 245 members at Bosch Rexroth, a subsidiary of the German-owned global engineering giant, are withdrawing their labour until next Tuesday, with further strikes on every subsequent Monday and Tuesday.

The industrial action, which also includes an ongoing overtime ban, follows nearly three-quarters of the unionised workforce rejecting a proposed wage increase of 6 per cent – just over half the current retail price index inflation rate of 11.7 per cent.

Bosses at the site in Glenrothes, north of Edinburgh, are also refusing to backdate the pay offer to January 1 or to reverse changes to shift patterns, despite generating sales of £5.4 billion in 2021, Unite charged.  

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Disgracefully, Bosch Rexroth is another employer that is coining it in, yet is hell-bent on destroying wages.

“Management [must] think again and come back to the table with an improved offer.”

The firm, which was contacted for comment, produces parts for the construction industry, including gears and brakes, as well as components for forklift trucks.