Coca Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) staff based at its soft drinks plant in Wakefield, Yorkshire have accepted an up to 18% pay rise, ending the threat of strike action.
The deal will see employees’ salaries increase between £3,476 and £3,876 in the first 12 months, with further increases to salaries set to take place from 1 April 2024.
The lowest-paid technicians will receive a 16.6% increase to their salary, while the highest paid will see a 10.2% rise. Meanwhile, the lowest-paid clerical workers will receive an 18.1% salary boost, and the highest-paid will receive a 12% increase.
Earlier this year, employees voted for industrial action by a margin of 87% in protest over a pay offer, which they felt did nothing to address the cost-of-living crisis. A total of 14 days of strike action, which were planned to start from today (Wednesday 14 June) have now been cancelled due to successful negotiations that led to the accepted pay deal.
A CCEP spokesperson said: “Throughout this process we have remained fully committed to maintaining talks with our staff at the site, and their representatives, to secure a positive outcome. The agreed deal at Wakefield is very much in line with the approach we have adopted at other sites, with a 6% headline pay increase alongside other, locally negotiated, items that improve flexibility. We are pleased that these pay negotiations are now concluded.”
Sharon Graham, general secretary at trade union Unite, added: “This is a well-deserved pay increase for Coca Cola workers. The famous soft drinks firm made an astronomical £1.85 billion in profits. It’s only right that the workers on the factory floor get a fairer share of the profits they help to make. The workers are to be congratulated for joining forces and taking a stand.”