Strike action of more than 700 workers at a factory which supplies food products to Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S and Morrisons has been suspended following a new pay offer.
Last week, employees at the Bakkavor food manufacturing plant in Spalding, Lincolnshire rejected a 6.5% pay offer and were set to strike from 25 November to 2 January, impacting supplies during the run up to Christmas.
However, Unite the union has since said that strike action will be suspended so that workers can be balloted on the new pay offer.
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“Following fresh talks a further pay offer was made. The strikes scheduled to begin on 25 November have been suspended while workers are balloted,” Unite regional officer Ravinder Assi told the BBC.
Bakkavor, which makes deli produce, soups and sauces for these supermarket giants said it has most recently offered a two-year pay deal of a 7.5% increase in 2022 and 6% in 2023, which a spokesperson said is “competitive with the local market and provides colleagues with certainty.”
“It is important for us to be able to offer our colleagues a fair and sustainable pay offer, along with wider benefits.”
The spokesperson added: “It also allows us to focus on our operational delivery, at a time when the trading environment remains challenging and significant inflationary headwinds are persisting.”
