Hovis workers' strike could disrupt bread deliveries
Lorry drivers at Hovis will go on strike after a 3% pay rise was offered by the company.
Hovis workers' strike could disrupt bread deliveries
Hovis said it has been working on pay negotiations since April
Bread deliveries are expected to be disrupted as Hovis lorry drivers prepare to strike over a pay dispute.
Around 60 Unite the Union members based at the depot in Avonmouth near Bristol are due to begin an indefinite strike from 24 September after staff were offered a 3% pay rise.
Representatives at Unite the Union said the offer amounts to a pay cut because inflation stands at 3.4%, and shops across the West of England are likely to see fewer Hovis products.
A spokesperson for Hovis Bakeries said the offer on the table was "fair and responsible", adding that they do not expect any "significant or lasting shortages" in supply.
"Plans are in place to minimise any impact on our retail customers," they added.
Unite regional officer John Sweeney said shoppers would be worried about the shortages, but the strike action is "the fault of Hovis who came up with the half-baked offer".
Unite also said workers at the company's Belfast depot were offered extra benefits on top of what Bristol staff were offered, including a commission of 2p per product for all items sold.
Staff in Belfast were offered a holiday premium rate of an additional 50% of the contracted basic hourly rate for anyone who worked over five bank holidays.
The Hovis spokesperson said pay negotiations for some of their employees at Avonmouth began back in April and they were "disappointed" by the decision to take industrial action.
Hovis said "important work" was also under way to merge the company with another UK bread maker, Allied Bakeries.
Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary, said Hovis could afford to pay Avonmouth workers the same as those in Belfast because it was owned by an "incredibly profitable company".
"Instead of favouring one group, it needs to stop prioritising greed and extend benefits to other workers," she said.
Sweeney said Hovis could avoid the dispute, but it was relying on the company to bring forward "a meaningful offer" while Hovis said it remained "focused on reaching an agreement that works for everyone".