Further strikes at Heinz’s Wigan plant

WORKERS at Heinz’s Kitt Green plant in Wigan have begun a second strike day today and plan a further walk-out before the end of the year.

Plant workers protesting at a pay offer of 3.3% this year and 3% next year, which the Unite union says is below the current inflation rate of 4.7%, walked out at 6am this morning for 24 hours. The Union said that a one-day stoppage last week led to the loss of two million cans from production.

Around 1,200 workers are based at the site, which produces beans and soup. The Union has said that it is read to talk to the firm, but said workers are angry at what it describes as the company’s attempt to portray workers as “greedy” in the current economic climate.

Jennie Formby, Unite’s national officer for food and drink, said: “The company is shamefully trying to smear this workforce as grasping for more cash even though year-on-year they have worked extremely hard to deliver whacking great profits for Heinz.

“With Heinz’s profit margins extremely healthy at 37 per cent, the workers rightly feel that the company is vastly wealthy and can easily afford to help them meet the spiralling costs of living.

“Heinz’s refusal to do so is made worse when they continue to shower rewards on managers and the shareholders.  The hypocrisy of 15 per cent bonuses for well-paid managers but wage freezes for ordinary workers is staggering.

Some 90% of union members at the plant voted in favour of strike action following a ballot earlier this month.

A spokesman for the company said it was “disappointed” with the union’s decision to strike again, stating that it had made “one of the best pay offers in the industry”.

He said the pay offer was equivalent to a pay rise of 4% this year and 3% next.

 “This is well above our competitors and UK average weekly earnings which are increasing by 1.7%. Heinz remains a top tier employer and payer.”

He added that competitors do not offer inflation-linked pay deals and if it did the firm would become uncompetitive.

The spokesman also said that it has invited union representatives to a meeting on Wedensday about the pay deal but said that there could be no pre-conditions set regarding the content of the meeting. The union said that it would be prepared to meet if the current offer was improved.

He said that supplies of the company’s product was not likely to be afffected by the strikes as it had already taken steps “

to manage stock levels to ensure consumers are not disappointed”.