Widgets Are Us

Widgets Are Us

Widgets Are Us is part of a major multinational company which located at a site in the UK in1990. They manufacture widgets for the electronics industry which are then branded by their various customers. The company is non-union and in order to retain this status operates a 'workers' forum' for consultations; they do not negotiate in "relation to reward packages or levels. The main site has three separate units each producing different sizes of widget for various market .

Units One and Two consist of four production lines each of which runs a continuous assembly process operating seven days a week and 24 hours a day. The bulk of the workforce is female, part-time and/or agency temporary workers, the latter group comprising some 40 per cent of the staff in each Unit. Each line is divided into six 'areas' within which five workers comprise a 'team' with one designated a 'team leader' . They are paid a base rate with additions for each piece produced by the line during each shift; team leaders are paid at a rate which is 5 per cent above the rest of the team to reflect their responsibility for the team. The base rate is in line with the National Minimum Wage and the line is paid an additional 4p for each item passed by quality control as satisfactory. The quality control operatives are placed mid-way along the line to verify quality prior to the widgets being vacuum packed for dispatch and are paid on a monthly basis at a higher base rate with no incentive element. As staff members they enjoy a choice of additional benefits drawn from the company 'cafeteria' reward system which is not available to other line workers. The widgets are mass produced to agreed specifications for each customer and the line may make widgets with slightly different specifications during each shift (on occasions as many as three different specifications during anyone shift) .