Spalding boss hits back at ‘disruptive’ union
The head of a food production company has criticized a union for “encouraging” its members at a Spalding site to continue their strike. Unite announced that ongoing strikes would commence on December 20 at the Bakkavor Spalding location over pay disagreements, with 86% of members supporting the industrial action.
In response, the company’s CEO, Mike Edwards, accused the union of being “disruptive” by hindering a “sensible” resolution to the strike. Unite is advocating for its members to receive what it calls a “fair wage.” The BBC has reached out to the union for a reply to Edwards’ remarks but hasn’t yet heard back.
Bakkavor produces and prepares food items like salads and ready meals for supermarkets such as Tesco, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose. The company stated that its enhanced pay proposal for Spalding employees includes a 7.8% increase for the lowest-paid workers and a 6.4% raise for other grades, along with a discretionary £350 bonus available until the new year.
Edwards claimed that Unite had repeatedly made emotional claims about their “strong” pay offer, based on inaccurate or misleading information. He also dismissed the union’s suggestion that the strike could cause supermarket shortages, stating that the union’s “inaccurate and sensationalized dossier” included products not even made by Bakkavor.
Despite efforts he attributed to the union to cause disruption, Edwards noted that most Spalding staff are not participating in the strike, with over 800 accepting the pay offer. This group also included some workers who had initially joined the strike but later decided to end their dispute with the company.
Earlier, Unite pointed out that employees had experienced a 10.6% real-term pay decrease over the past three years. The union is seeking an average hourly raise of 81p. Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, previously stated, “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.”
