TENS of thousands of workers could go on strike in the coming months if bosses continue to offer real-terms pay cuts, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham warned at the weekend. 

She stressed that workers were no longer willing to accept “poverty wages” in the face of “rampant profiteering” by their employers. 

In the year since she took over as the union’s leader, members have fought for better pay in more than 450 disputes, with eight out of 10 resulting in victory, Ms Graham said.

“The two words that unite all the individual strikes taking place are ‘pay cuts’,” she said in comments published today.

“Since I was elected, 76,000 Unite members have taken industrial action in pay disputes. That’s put £150 million more in their pay packets.

“There could be hundreds of disputes involving tens of thousands of workers over the coming months if employers continue to offer real-terms wage cuts presented as pay increases.

“Summer of discontent? We’ve had the spring, summer, autumn and winter of discontent with austerity every single season.”

Ms Graham said it was time to stop telling workers to pay for soaring inflation and instead tackle excessive profiteering,” adding: “If employers can pay, they should pay.

“If they won’t pay, eventually they will pay when Unite organises the fightback.”

Strikes are planned in the coming months across several sectors, including bus and rail transport, ports, universities, the Post Office and courts.

Nurses in England and Wales are also being balloted for strike action later this month, which would be the first ever walkout by members of the Royal College of Nursing.