Ready meal and pizza lovers could face a shortage of their favourite teatime treats as factory staff down cheese graters in a row over pay.
More than 700 workers who produce the Italian-style dish and other ready-made meals, soups, dips, salads and desserts for major supermarkets will walk out later this month, said trade union chiefs.
In a statement, Unite the Union said Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Waitrose were “facing shelf shortages”.
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It said the action was “in protest at a derisory pay offer from their employer” and warned “Unite members will be taking part in continuous strike action from Friday September 27 at the plant in Spalding, Lincs.
The union said staff only earned “just above the minimum wage” and had rejected a 6% pay rise offer made earlier this year.
(Image: Getty Images)
It cited company Bakkavor reporting half-year profits of £55million for 2024, adding: “Workers at the company spend long shifts working in near-freezing temperatures, doing repetitive and demanding manual work for very low pay.
“Some employees at Bakkavor Spalding have been forced to use food banks in order to survive.”
Unite regional officer Sam Hennessy accused bosses of taking a “my way or the highway” approach.
He said: “Strike action will inevitably cause disruption and shortages to supermarkets across the UK, but this dispute is entirely of Bakkavor’s own making.
“We urge Bakkavor to listen to the concerns of its staff and provide them with an improved and fair pay offer before strike action starts this month.”
The firm’s facility manager Sadie Woodhouse said Bakkavor had put “a good deal on the table – well above inflation and National Living Wage”.
The company said it was working with its customers to put contingency plans in place in the event of industrial action.
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