Princes negotiates 3% pay rise with GMB at two sites affected by union industrial action
Liverpool-based foods group, Princes, has reached a mutual agreement with the GMB Union for a three per cent pay increase for members across a number of its UK sites.
This agreement follows several months of negotiations and trade union action at a number of Princes sites around the country.
The company, which is based in the Royal Liver Building and was acquired by Italian-based Newlat Food S.p.A in a £700m deal last July, said the settlement demonstrates its ongoing commitment to providing fair and reasonable remuneration for its employees, despite the challenging economic conditions currently prevailing in the UK and Europe.
GMB members at Erith and Belvedere sites will now receive the pay award backdated to April 2024.
Angelo Mastrolia, Chairman of Princes, said: “We see this agreement as a positive step towards maintaining the long term stability of the business while continuing to support our employees.
“I am grateful to the GMB Union for their constructive approach to the negotiations and their understanding of the wider economic challenges faced by the business. We remain committed to resolving the remaining disputes at other locations as soon as possible.”
Princes has also been engaged in pay negotiations with Unite for several months, offering an above-inflation three per cent pay increase.
This follows pay increases over the past five years – eight per cent in 2023, seven per cent in 2022, and 2.5% in 2021, along with a one-off cost of living payment of 4.1% in 2022.
All these were above inflation. Princes said it has also offered to back pay the three per cent pay rise for 2024 to its staff while the dispute continues, which Unite has refused. As a result, both parties have registered a failure to agree and, therefore, talks have ceased.
While ongoing Unite action is disruptive to sites, Princes reassured its customers and consumers there is no risk to shortages of its products and that all affected sites have contingency plans in place.
Mastrolia added: “We operate in a highly competitive market. In addition to a highly demanding customer base, we increasingly have overseas competitors seeking to take business outside of the UK food and drink manufacturing sector.
“The Princes board have to constantly balance operational costs – including wages – while staying competitive and being able to offer favourable conditions for colleagues evidenced by the agreement with GMB. Industrial action as we are currently experiencing with Unite does nothing but put our sites and jobs at risk.”
Unite the Union has been contacted for comment.
