Dairy staff propose strike action over ‘shoddy’ pay offer
Staff at an East Yorkshire chocolate crumb manufacturer have proposed four days of strike action over what Unite union describes as a “shoddy” pay offer.
The workers at Meadow Foods at Holme on Spalding Moor are due to walk-out at 6pm on 12 January, after voting for strike action over a 2% pay offer for the year starting July 2018.
The action, which ends at 6pm on Tuesday 15 January, is planned to hit night and day shifts over the four days. The site at Holme-on-Spalding-Moor has been a dairy for more than 75 years and makes chocolate crumb – an ingredient of dairy milk chocolate.
Unite said that there was still time for the management to come to the table for constructive talks. Unite regional officer Dave Monaghan said: “Our members have overwhelmingly rejected a shoddy two per cent pay offer and are seeking an increase in line with the retail price index, currently running at 3.2 per cent, to keep up with the soaring cost of living.
“This modest demand is in sharp and glaring contrast with the excessive 82 per cent increase that the company directors pocketed as highlighted in the latest accounts.
“It’s no wonder that our members are furious at the huge ‘them and us’ disparity between the pay of the bosses compared with those that actually generate the profits. There is still a generous widow of opportunity for the management to sit down and enter into meaningful negotiations before the strike is due to commence.
“This site produces ingredients for other manufacturers and, if the strike goes ahead, we predict it will have a negative impact on the factory’s ability to keep up with customer demand.”
Unite members voted by 73% for strike action.
Meadow Foods employs 75 people at its Holme on Spalding Moor site, 40 of which are members of the Unite Union with 25 individuals voting for strike action – 33% of site’s workforce.
Meadow Foods said:”Meadow Foods is involved in pay negotiations with a small number of unionised employees at our site in Holme on Spalding Moor (HoSM). We are a fair and generous employer with no history of industrial action and hope to get this matter resolved as soon as possible.
“The fair and sustainable pay increase proposed by Meadow Foods is supported by the majority of our 300 workforce and so we are disappointed that a small group of employees at our HoSM site has decided to take this action.
“Meadow Foods’ management remains committed to positively resolving this issue as soon as possible. Our door remains open for continued constructive negotiations.”
