Weetabix ‘fire and re-hire’ strikes suspended
Strikes due to begin today (Wednesday 23 June) at the Northampton plant of cereal maker Weetabix have been suspended following talks between Unite the union and management at the company.
Engineers employed by Weetabix and who are members of Unite, were preparing to take strike action in a “fire and rehire” dispute, which the union says would have resulted in the affected workers suffering substantial pay cuts.
As a result of talks held yesterday (Tuesday 22 June) Unite agreed to suspend strike action that was scheduled every Wednesday from tomorrow until September. In response Weetabix has agreed not to make any changes to the engineer’s contracts until at least 1 September.
The move to de-escalate the strike action is designed to allow “meaningful negotiations” to take place.
Unite regional officer Sean Kettle said: “Following constructive talks with Weetabix today Unite has agreed to suspend the strike action which was due to begin tomorrow.
“The decision to suspend the strikes was in response to Weetabix agreeing to postpone the proposed implementation of the contract changes for our members.
“It is hoped that fresh negotiations will allow a deal to be reached that will be acceptable to our members.”
Unite national officer for food Joe Clarke said: “Constructive and meaningful discussions were held with Weetabix today and as a result it was agreed to suspend the strike action to allow for further dialogue and create the necessary space for both sides to seek a resolution.”
A Weetabix spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the proposed strike has been suspended and are confident that we can reach a long-term agreement with our employees’ representatives. Our success over nearly 90 years has been built on a strong sense of teamwork, and a mutually agreeable solution on new ways of working will allow us to continue to invest in our people, plants, and products long into the future.”
The union says that if the planned negotiations do not lead to a “satisfactory resolution” of the dispute then renewed strike action could be called later this summer or early this autumn.
