Employees at sandwich and convenience food manufacturer Greencore’s Worksop factory in Nottinghamshire have accepted a 10% pay award.
The factory line workers, quality controllers, store workers and cleaners will receive a 10% increase backdated to 1 April 2023 and an additional 5.25% increase from 1 April 2024.
More than 500 of the workers, who earn £10.53 an hour and are members of trade union Unite, had voted for strike action following a ballot as they wanted increased pay during the current cost-of-living crisis and were unhappy with the employer’s previous offer, as the organisation’s last accounts showed profits of more than £15 million.
Strike action was suspended as a good-will gesture while a revised pay offer was put to union members. Following extensive negotiations, members and Greencore agreed to an above-inflation award.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “This is a hard-fought victory for workers at Greencore. It shows there is power in a union and that Unite will fight tooth and nail for its members in our relentless pursuit of better jobs, pay and conditions. I congratulate everyone involved for their hard work and for standing up to their employer in demanding a fair pay rise.”
Greencore was contacted for comment prior to publication.
The employer also provides employees with a flexible benefits scheme, a salary sacrifice pension arrangement, and life assurance where all staff are covered at two-times salary in the event of death. The exception to this is for employees who join the group pension scheme, who are covered at four-times salary in the event of death.