CCE and unions meet again tonight to thrash out deal at Edmonton

02-Nov-2010 - Last updated on 02-Nov-2010 at 15:01 GMT

Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE) will begin fresh talks with union bosses this evening in a bid to resolve an ongoing pay dispute at its Edmonton plant.

The firm, which also met with representatives of the Unite trade union yesterday, announced a temporary ceasefire last week, calling off stoppages scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday after further talks with management were arranged.

Production at CCE’s Edmonton factory has been disrupted since mid-September as striking Unite members – 100 of the 150 staff on site – have downed tools every Wednesday and Thursday in protest at the firm’s “stingy” proposal of a 2% pay rise.

Unite regional officer Wayne King told FoodManufacture.co.uk this morning that he hoped an agreement could be reached today, but that stoppages would recommence tomorrow (Wednesday 3rd) if a resolution were not found.

A CCE spokeswoman said: “CCE remains open to further dialogue with all our employees and the union with regards to the local dispute over pay at our Edmonton site…and we continue to believe that dialogue offers the prospect of a constructive outcome.

"CCE has plans in place which ensure that any industrial action does not disrupt the high quality of service we always aim to deliver for our customers."

The dispute at Edmonton was not related to group-wide restructuring plans that would result in up 120 redundancies in Britain, she said.