But he became disillusioned when he had to switch to less physically demanding work after sustaining a knee injury. Failure to do so can result in an "adapt", a type of warning. Staff are given two 30-minute breaks a day, only one of which is paid. From the time we started, and we grew like this, it is all the time a pleasure,” says Kazim, originally from Kurdistan, in northern Iraq. “The best time was during the strikes: we were together, we were talking, and it is really good being involved.” The DBR1 was initially fitted with a smaller 2.5-litre (2493 cc) new all alloy racing engine (RB6.250) very loosely derived from the racing version of the Lagonda Straight-6 engine to comply with that year's Le Mans 24 Hour regulations whilst the RB6.300 Straight-6 (2992 cc), rated at 250hp (186kW) was developed for the 1957 season.

That first ballot was lost, by just a handful of votes, but they staged a rerun a few weeks later, as membership continued to build. Debuting at the non championship 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans, David Brown's Aston Martin racing team set out with the 2.5-litre DBR1/1 alongside two older 2.9-litre DB3Ss. Although performing well through most of the race against larger engined cars such as the winning Jaguar D-type with its 3.4-litre engine, the DBR1 suffered gearbox failure after 246 laps whilst lying seventh, forcing drivers Reg Parnell and Tony Brooks to retire. Having worked intensively through the Covid crisis, when at-home shopping soared, staff in Coventry hoped for a generous pay rise when the pandemic abated. “We are the ones who worked through the pandemic. We risked our lives,” says Kazim. Most would argue it does because it could be the start of something - a sign of organisation within the gig economy that could spread. I've spoken to workers who described their fear during Covid - with one saying they wore masks morning until night, and would see people turn up in white suits to clean workspaces where colleagues had Covid.This historic decision came after the workers, who joined eight other workplaces, began balloting for strike action. Julie Fyffe, Governance Manager for the centre said: “The Trustees, staff of BCC and the people of Belvedere are very grateful for this generous donation that will be utilised constantly to keep our grounds neat and tidy! We are overwhelmed by AMZL’s DBR1 generosity and interest in our community. We very much look forward to future cooperation and working together on upcoming projects including the new Belvedere Community Gardening Club to be announced soon. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Rhod, his team and all at DBR1 for this fantastic donation and commitment to our community. We would also like to thank Francesca Waite of AMZL for her enthusiasm and support.” The trio describe a high-pressure working environment inside BHX4, where every move is constantly monitored. Any anomaly – such as a few minutes without scanning an item – can bring a laptop-wielding manager to their workstation. It's 10 hours a day, standing on your feet. I do 18,000 steps and it takes its toll on people. I've got an injury to my shoulder. Some days it's just so painful. Some nights I can't sleep, it just keeps me awake. And that's from the repetitive strain of doing the same job over and over and over and over."

Employees are also offered comprehensive benefits that are worth thousands more - including private medical insurance, life assurance, subsidised meals and an employee discount, to name a few." Making a full debut in the 1957 World Sportscar Championship season as well as various non-championship races, Aston Martin started the season with DBR1/1 in 2.5-litre form and the car recorded its first finish, with a second place for Roy Salvadori at the British Empire Trophy, followed by another second place at the Goodwood Circuit's Sussex Trophy. DBR1/1 was then upgraded with the newer 3.0-litre engine, and joined by the identical DBR1/2. Together at the Spa Sportscar Race, Aston Martin took the top two spots, with Tony Brooks winning over Roy Salvadori. The DBR1s then made their World Sportscar Championship debut in the fourth round, the 1000km Nürburgring. Here DBR1/2 took an overall victory at the hands of Brooks and Noël Cunningham-Reid, earning Aston Martin its first World Championship win since the Collins/Griffith DB3S had won the Tourist Trophy in 1953. Salvadori and Les Leston finished sixth in the same race in DBR1/1. The victory against the full works might of Ferrari and Maserati with their 335S and 450S models in the hands of drivers such as Peter Collins, Mike Hawthorn, Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio gave the Aston Martin team confidence that they now had a car that could compete against the best in the world. Unfortunately these hopes were dashed at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans when both DBR1s failed to finish. The failure at Le Mans meant that any hopes of the World Championship had gone and Aston Martin missed the final two rounds in Sweden and Venezuela. Instead they entered the non-championship Spa Grand Prix, where DBR1/2 took the only other victory of the year in the hands of Brooks ahead of Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 290 MM and Olivier Gendebien in a Ferrari 335S with Salvadori fourth in DBR1/1. He describes lifting weights of seven, eight or nine kilos repeatedly for a nine or 10-hour shift with just two half hour breaks - and they involve going through scanning machines and walking to the canteen.

Westwood says he had previously felt no need for a union – but he and his colleagues turned to the GMB to help them channel their anger into organising. We’re not going away; we’re only going to grow,” says Westwood. “Sooner or later, we’ll have recognition in Coventry.” However, workers accuse it of cutting other benefits in the process. Crucially, the 5% pay rise it has given its staff amounts to a real-terms pay cut because inflation, which peaked at over 11% last year, has risen at more than double the pace. These are good people," Mr Westwood said. "I know that some people think that we're unskilled and this is a minimum wage for a 'minimum job'. But you need us during the pandemic. You applauded us and painted rainbows in the street. We're the same people."

We got to Primark, we got our hi-vis on, we just started chatting to people,” recalls local GMB activist Rachel Fagan. “We just listened to what they wanted and what they wanted to do. And they were saying, ‘These workers have had enough, and they want to tell their story.’” That first walkout was spectacular,” says Westwood. “I didn’t think it would work; not because I didn’t trust what we were doing, but because of the pressure. It was only 50 or 60 people, but because they were coming out in dribs and drabs, it just felt awesome.” When you do a concentrated job, you don’t realise how much your body is being punished,” says Kazim. That spaceship, that boat of his: he would have none of that if it weren’t for his workers,” says Westwood’s colleague, Garfield Hylton.It's unsurprising that union membership in this type of workforce - with many foreign workers who may not speak English perfectly - is low. Rhod Taylor, Delivery Station Manager added: “DBR1 decided to make the lawnmower donation as we recognise the importance of this gardening service for young people in Belvedere. It’s been awesome to see how useful the new lawnmower will be, and I look forward to continuing our partnership with Julie and the team.” One expert told me people were worried about robots taking our jobs. Now, she said, the worry was about jobs treating people like robots and questions around that critical point are at the heart of this walk out. They can monitor you, per minute, per task – it’s micromanagement,” says Hylton. “It’s called ‘scanner adherence’ – you have to be scanning every minute, to show a constant, rapid scan.”