Workers who make cloth coatings for snooker tables and tennis balls used worldwide are celebrating after industrial action led to a new pay agreement worth 6.1 per cent over two years.
More than 50 people at WSP Textiles in Stroud and Cam began the nine-day strike earlier after rejecting a pay rise offer of 2.35%.
Members of Unite the Union employed by WSP Textiles had taken strike action earlier this year as part of a pay dispute with the company. The workers produce snooker table baize and tennis ball felt used in professional sports.
Unite said its members took to the picket line to press their case during negotiations over pay and conditions.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This shows that Unite is the winning union and that there is power in a workplace union that backs its members. Workers at WSP should be congratulated on having the courage to take strike action to achieve their goals.”
Following a series of strikes, workers accepted a revised offer which includes a 3.1 per cent pay increase backdated to May 2025 and a further three per cent increase from May 2026.
The agreement also includes an additional half day of annual leave and a one per cent increase in the employer’s pension contribution. Unite will have one additional workplace representative for future negotiations on pay and conditions, and WSP has committed to discussions about a potential bonus scheme.
Unite regional officer Michael Hobbs said: “Our members hadn’t received a significant pay rise in recent years, so I’m delighted they have now secured an increase. The work they do supplies materials used in sports played around the world. They fought hard for this pay rise and it puts them and Unite in a stronger position for negotiations in the future.”
