Princes Food striking over reneged pay increase
Employees at UK food and drinks brand Princes Food, which has plants in Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, Bradford, Wisbech, Glasgow and Cardiff, will strike over pay in January. Union Unite said its members are taking industrial action after previous pay offers were revoked by new owners Newlat SPA.
Industrial action has already taken place at the company’s Cardiff factory but strikes at factories across the country will see hundreds of Unite members head to the picket line in January.
Princes Foods makes dozens of household name products, including own brand canned fish. Unite said the strikes are likely to lead to shortages in supermarkets and shops across the country.
Unite members, who work as line operatives and engineers, had been offered between a four and seven percent pay rise dependent on salary by the previous owner, Mitsubishi. The company was subsequently bought by Italian-based multinational Newlat, which withdrew that offer. Instead, it is offering a 3% pay rise.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Newlat need to get back round the negotiating table before its customers discover they won’t have any products on their shelves. Our members work in back-breaking roles on low pay and want a fair slice of the pie.
“Newlat make 20% of all their revenues in the UK and are making money off the backs of these workers. Yet they want to shortchange our members. Unite won’t stand for such behaviour and back our members 100%.”
In its latest half-year financial reports, the Newlat Group expects to achieve sales of €2.8 billion during this financial year with profits of approximately €188 million.
Unite National Officer for Food, Drink and Agriculture Paul Travers said: “Newlat borrowed huge sums of money to buy Princes and is now looking to cut corners and penny pinch to pay that money back. Unite won’t let them do so with our members’ livelihoods. Newlat can avoid this strike, which is one of their own making, by coming back to the negotiating table with a new and improved pay deal for our members.”
Strikes are taking place on the following dates:
- Bradford – 6 January until 8 January and 13 January until 15 January
- Wisbech – 8 January until 10 January and 16 January until 18 January
- Long Sutton – 7, 9, 14 and 16 January
- Cardiff – 9 January until 11 January
- Glasgow (engineers only) – 6 January until 8 January and 13 January until 15 January
