Tesco faces the possibility of strike action by workers at nine distribution centres in the week leading up to Christmas.
Union Usdaw said its members had overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer from Tesco in annual negotiations, and would now vote on whether to strike in the week starting 20 December.
The union is balloting members from today (22 November) until 6 December at Tesco DCs in Daventry, Goole, Hinckley, Lichfield, Livingston, Peterborough and Southampton. A further two sites in Magor are affected.
“Our members in nine distribution centres have rejected Tesco’s latest pay offers, so we are balloting them on industrial action,” said Usdaw national officer Joanne McGuinness.
“Retail distribution workers are key workers who delivered essential services throughout the pandemic, which in turn delivered a 16.5% increase in profit to Tesco for the first half of the year.
“These workers deserve a decent pay rise as their reward for what they have done and continue to do day in, day out – couple that with the rising cost of living and inflation currently running at 6%, the company needs to do better.
“The potential of industrial action and possible stock shortages in stores in the week before Christmas can be avoided, if the company comes back to the table with a better offer that is acceptable to our members.”
A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We are disappointed that a decision has been taken to ballot for potential industrial action at a number of our distribution sites.
”We have put forward a fair and competitive pay offer to our colleagues, which is one of the highest awards made within our distribution business in the last 25 years.”
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