employees at Hovis’ Belfast bakery go on strike.
The strike action, which features Unite’s members and those from the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, commenced at 6am on Friday 14 May following a dispute over pay. The unions claim Hovis management failed to meet demands from the workforce for pay parity with their counterparts in Great Britain.
“We had hoped that this morning management would move to address our members’ legitimate demands for pay parity with Hovis employees in Great Britain,” said Sean McKeever, regional officer for Unite. “That would mean a 10% pay increase – sadly, bosses made a totally inadequate 3% offer which our reps did not even consider worthwhile to take back to their members.”
Hovis Belfast Bakery strike action to go ahead
Bakers want 10 percent raise for parity with GB workers
Updated
A picket is to appear at the Hovis plant at Apollo Road (Image: Google)
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Strike action threatening the supply of bread in Northern Ireland looks set to start on Friday morning after workers and bosses failed to reach agreement at a major bakery.
By Harry Holmes2021-05-13T15:04:00+01:00
Bread shortages could emerge in Northern Ireland this weekend after talks broke down over employee pay at a Hovis factory in Belfast, a workers’ union has warned.
Hovis workers passed the strike action with a 90.5% majority after union representatives rejected the offer of a 3% pay rise.
Union Unite has called for a 10% hike, which it claims is necessary to bring pay into line with Hovis workers in Great Britain. Hovis described the call as “clearly unsustainable”, arguing it had offered an “above inflation pay offer of 3% each year for two years”.
The strike will begin on Friday morning.
Hovis denies ‘unsustainable’ pay rise at Belfast factory Hovis has shot down demands for an ‘unsustainable’ pay rise at its Belfast plant, as workers unions warned a planned strike would cause shortages of its products across Northern Ireland.
A pay dispute between the union and the baker – a 3% pay rise rejected over a lack of parity with workers in Great Britain – led union members to back a strike from 6am on 14 May.
A spokesman for Hovis said:
“Hovis is disappointed to hear strike action is going ahead as we have made an above inflation pay offer of 3% each year for two years which we believe is fair and reasonable given current market conditions.
employees at Hovis’ Belfast bakery prepare to go on strike.
The strike action, which features Unite’s members and those from the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, is set to commence at 6am on Friday 14 May following a dispute over pay. The unions claim Hovis management failed to meet demands from the workforce for pay parity with their counterparts in Great Britain.
“We had hoped that this morning management would move to address our members’ legitimate demands for pay parity with Hovis employees in Great Britain,” said Sean McKeever, regional officer for Unite. “That would mean a 10% pay increase – sadly, bosses made a totally inadequate 3% offer which our reps did not even consider worthwhile to take back to their members.”