Over 700 workers in the Unite union are on strike at Bakkavor in Spalding. Photo: Twitter @UniteEastMids
Some 550 workers in the Unite union are piling the pressure onto bosses at food producers Oscar Mayer.
Workers at the Wrexham plant are enraged at the fire and rehire practices of Oscar Mayer bosses. Management made plans to remove some paid breaks, reduce other breaks and eradicate any enhanced payments and days off in lieu for working bank holidays.
If workers do not voluntarily accept the changes, management is threatening to fire and rehire the workers, which will see their pay decrease by up to £3,000.
Oscar Mayer is one of the major ready meal manufacturers in Britain, supplying large quantities of its products to Tesco, Asda, Greggs, Aldi, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and the Co-op.
Workers began strikes on 12 September, and strikes are set to continue until Thursday of next week.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Oscar Mayer is dragging its own name through the mud with its despicable behaviour towards these workers. Unite will ensure that every organisation associated with Oscar Mayer, as well as the public who buy its produce, knows what the company is trying to do.”
As part of this, last week workers took protests to Aldi, Co-op, Tesco and others to show their anger at firms complicit in Oscar Mayer’s disgusting hiring practices.
Labour has failed to end fire and rehiring practices, so these workers must be supported in taking that fight into their own hands.
Meanwhile, over 700 workers in the Unite union are on strike at Bakkavor in Spalding, another food producer.
Workers began a continuous strike on Friday of last week.
In May, 95 percent of the Unite members at Bakkavor rejected a 6 percent pay offer. Management then offered a 7.8 percent pay rise to its lowest paid workers, and 6.4 percent to all other workers. It then offered a further £50 as a one-off payment.
None of management’s new offers have stopped the workers’ anger. Unite regional secretary Paresh Patel said, “This company has made
£55 million in profit over the first half of this year. But it has offered a pittance to our members, those very people that have made sure that this company delivers and succeeds for its customers.
“They have walked away from negotiations, and have limited the terms of the negotiation. We’re going to stand here solidly until we win the day.”
Council and school workers in England and Wales have just two weeks left to vote on whether to strike over a paltry pay offer.
Bosses have offered up just £1,290—which represents an increase of between 2.5 and 5.8 percent. But after years of pay erosion, and high levels of inflation, it’s simply not enough for workers to make ends meet.
Unions with members in councils had submitted a pay claim for £3,000 or 10 percent, whichever was higher.
The pay vote could prove extremely significant. It could signal a new phase where the Labour government is going head-to-head with one of the biggest groups of workers in Britain.
Workers have until 16 October. They should keep fighting to get the vote out for strikes in every school and council workplace this autumn.
In Scotland, council bosses have imposed a rubbish pay deal—one that was already rejected by a major local governent union.
Workers in councils and schools have been offered some 3.6 percent or £1,292 a year.
Members of the Unite and GMB unions have backed the deal, which was meant to see off bin strikes. But workers in Unison union—by far the majority union across the three—are waiting to be balloted over action to fight for a better offer.
Cosla, the council umbrella body, claims to be “committed to the negotiation process” yet is pushing forward with implementing the deal.
David O’Connor, Unison Scotland’s local government lead said, “Just two days ago, Cosla’s lead negotiator Katie Hagmann and the cabinet secretary for local government Shona Robison assured the union they were committed to a negotiated settlement.
“Now, they’ve resorted to some of the worst employment practices by imposing this deal. They should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”
Sarah Bates
What now for Greens?
Unions have called a general strike
