Over 700 workers at Bakkavor’s Spalding site are to take continuous strike action this month after having “overwhelmingly rejected” a pay offer, according to Unite.
Workers at the own label supplier’s Lincolnshire factory make and prepare meals, soups, dips, salads, desserts, pizzas and breads for customers including Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
While work was often “repetitive and demanding”, some employees earnt “just above the minimum wage” and had “been forced to use food banks”, the trade union claimed.
The Spalding workers rejected a proposed pay increase of 7.8% for the lowest-paid colleagues and 6.4% across all other grades in May. They will commence continuous strike action on Friday 27 September.
It comes after Bakkavor reported half-year profits of £55m for 2024.
“Bakkavor has built a highly profitable business on the backs of workers and yet fails to recognise their hard work in incredibly tough working conditions,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
“Our members are rightly angry after years of below-inflation pay rises, and the most recent offer is an insult. Bakkavor needs to rapidly think again and come back with an improved pay deal.”
Bakkavor Spalding GM Sadie Woodhouse said: “We are clearly disappointed that the union has advocated strike action despite our efforts to positively negotiate with them and us putting a good deal on the table, well above inflation and national living wage.
“We respect the role that unions play generally in protecting workers’ rights. However, it makes no sense for a union to call for a strike against a business that is already looking after its people, creating employment in the local community, investing in training and putting forward above-inflation pay rises.”
Bakkavor said negotiations had been successfully concluded across its other 20 UK sites and it had put contingency plans in place to mitigate the impact of the Spalding strikes.
It comes after Bakkavor announced plans to close its meals factory in Wigan earlier this month, putting around 750 jobs at risk.
No comments yet