According to Unite the Union, its members employed at sites in Bradford, Cardiff, Glasgow, Long Sutton and Wisbech voted in favour of strike action after Princes failed to issue an improved pay offer.
Unite said that Newlat, which acquired Princes last year, has withdrawn a pay rise offer of between 4% and 7% that was submitted by former owner Mitsubishi and instead presented a 3% rise.
“Newlat need to get back round the negotiating table before its customers discover they won’t have any products on their shelves,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
“Our members work in back-breaking roles on low pay and want a fair slice of the pie.”
Princes responds
In response, Princes said that the dispute has become increasingly difficult to resolve with Unite.
“We have engaged the Union in discussions for several months, tabled an above inflation pay rise and had offered to backdate this to April 2024 whilst discussions were ongoing but Unite advised us that they would not permit the business to do this,” a Prince spokesperson commented.
“The Princes board fully understands our very serious obligation to looking after our colleagues, but we have that exact same obligation to keeping Princes a sustainable business in the long term through focussing on managing our costs and being a competitive supplier of UK food and beverages.”
However, Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture, Paul Travers, accused Newlat of penny pinching as a result of its outlay to acquire Princes.
“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,” Travers said.
Industrial action took place at the Cardiff site last year, with Unite predicting that hundreds of its members will be involved in the fresh round of strikes.
The strikes are currently scheduled to get underway in Bradford and Glasgow on 6 January, before commencing in Long Sutton, Wisbech and Cardiff in the days afterwards.
