A strike is on the cards at Nottingham’s Riverside Bakery – the producer of quiches, flans and savoury tarts for major retailers including Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Marks and Spencer – according to Unite.
The union says that a pay cut disguised as a rise offered to staff earning just above the minimum wage has resulted in a strike ballot.
More than 150 workers at Riverside Bakery are being balloted for strike action over the pay offer that would apparently leave staff worse off by reducing overtime and premium rates.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This offer is a pay cut disguised as a rise. It would leave our members, who are already struggling with low pay and soaring inflation, worse off. I doubt customers will be impressed to learn that the quiches they buy in Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer and other supermarkets are being made by workers on the breadline.
“Riverside Bakery should be aware that if our members vote for strike action, Unite will have their backs with all the support they need.”
The ballot for strike action opens today (Tuesday 22 February) and closes on 8 March.
Unite said that the latest pay offer is a serious attack on its members’ premium rates.
Riverside Bakery is part of the Addo Food Group, which was bought by private equity firm PAI Partners in 2020. PAI is planning to merge Addo with another chilled food company it owns, Winterbotham Darby, to create a new company, The Compleat Food Group.
Unite regional officer Cheryl Pidgeon said: “Riverside Bakery and their new owners, PAI Partners, can well afford to ensure that their already low paid workers’ financial woes are not further increased.
“With the rising cost-of-living many will be plunged – if they are not there already – into in-work poverty under the current pay offer. Riverside Bakery need to put forward a deal our members can accept before this dispute escalates further.”
A spokesperson for The Compleat Food Group said: “After extensive talks, The Compleat Food Group made a very favourable offer of an increase to hourly rates for the colleagues at Riverside Bakery which was rejected by the Union.
“To enhance the previous offers, the final offer from the business included the fixing of overtime premiums at the 2021 rates. This was a move to further enhance hourly rates and increase differentials in advance of the forthcoming increase to the national minimum wage.”
