Strike at listed building supplies firm over long-running pay dispute

LISTED building supplies firm Marshalls has a fight on its hands as drivers announce industrial action in a long-running dispute over pay.

The contention centres around overtime pay, which drivers and union Unite say is a time and a third for drivers, compared to time and a half for manufacturing employees.

The Unite members at Marshalls are set to stage a 24-hour strike from 1am on Monday 13 June, with the union suggesting that action would escalate “if management continues to dig in its heels over holding constructive negotiations.”

Unite warned that Marshalls’ two biggest customers, Travis Perkins with 1,900 outlets and Jewson with more than 600 branches, face possible disruption because of the strike.

Unite national officer for construction and allied trades, John Allott said: “This vote for industrial action demonstrates a sense of anger among drivers at Marshalls over pay and the increasingly belligerent attitude of management.

“The last thing our members want to do is to take industrial action and cause disruption for the two biggest customers of Marshalls – Travis Perkins and Jewson.

“But faced with an increasingly hostile management, our members have clearly signalled they are prepared to take industrial action to achieve pay justice.

“We would urge the company to engage meaningfully with Unite to resolve the dispute and improve industrial relations for the long-term.”

A spokesperson for Marshalls said: “Naturally we are very disappointed that our HGV driver Unite members have taken the decision to move to strike action, particularly when we have been actively communicating with them over the issues under discussion

“Marshalls believes it offers a very competitive driver’s package, with rates far in excess of the industry average, and attractive working patterns. As a result, in a sector where there is a national shortage of HGV drivers, Marshalls has had no difficulty in attracting quality drivers into the business and the company enjoys very low attrition, with the majority of our drivers being with the company for many years.

“Only around half of Marshalls’ drivers are union members, and many have also stated that they do not want or intend to participate in strike action. Furthermore, Marshalls is well positioned to supplement the existing fleet with external haulage providers and has detailed contingency plans in place to support our customers should the action continue.

“As ever, Marshalls remains committed to working with our Unite members to attempt to resolve the issue.”