Strikes at Bakkavor in Spalding will continue ‘indefinitely’ a union has said after its latest ballot of members.
Hundreds of workers have been on strike since September and Unite the Union say following a re-ballot, they voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to continue it.
Unite has not revealed the full result of the ballot, nor how many took part in the latest vote.
A spokesman for Unite said: “Bakkavor’s customers, major UK supermarkets like Waitrose, M&S and Tesco are seeing a shortage of products like dips and soups on their shelves. Shortages are expected to worsen as more and more workers join Unite and take to the picket line.
“The workers have seen their pay decrease by 10.6 per cent in real terms over the last three years. Unite members are demanding a pay rise of 81 pence an hour on average. This amounts to just two per cent of Bakkavor’s profits.
“Unite is also pursuing the owners and investors of Bakkavor and has taken protests to Iceland and Austria in recent weeks to highlight the poverty pay of its members.”
Unite said around 750 people initially took part in strike action, though Bakkavor say the figure was lower and that some have returned to work.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “If Bakkavor thought they could just hold out a bit longer and our members would go back to work with their tails between their legs they have another thing coming.
“Hundreds of our members voted overwhelmingly for further strike action and they will have the full backing of Unite as they continue their fight for fair pay.”
Unite regional officer Sam Hennessey added: “Bakkavor continue to let down the communities they have built their business on.
“This is a dispute of their own making and the people of Spalding know they could resolve it with a stroke of pen and by paying a fair wage.
“Our members are absolutely resolute in their fight and the vote for further strikes means Bakkavor will continue to let down its customers for the foreseeable future.”
The Voice has approached Bakkavor for a comment.
