Princes food factory strikes threaten tinned food shortage

A union has warned of shortages of tinned goods in supermarkets as staff at five of Princes food factory are set to go on strike.

Strikes are set to escalate after the company failed to come back to the negotiating table with an improved offer after Christmas.

Industrial action has already taken place at the company's Cardiff factory but strikes at factories across the country will see hundreds of Unite members head to the picket line in January.

Factories in Bradford, Wisbech, Long Sutton and Glasgow will see strikes as well as additional walkouts in Cardiff.

Princes make dozens of household name products, such as Branston and Crosse & Blackwell, as well as their own brand tins and jars of meat and fish. The strikes are likely to lead to shortages in supermarkets and shops across the country.

Unite members are taking industrial action after having seen previous pay offers revoked by new owners. Unite’s members, who work as line operatives and engineers, had been offered between a four and seven per cent pay rise dependent on salary by the previous owner, Mitsubishi.

The company was subsequently bought by Italian based multinational Newlat S.P.A, which withdrew that offer. Instead, it is offering just a three per cent pay rise.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Newlat need to get back round the negotiating table before its customers discover they won’t have any products on their shelves. Our members work in back-breaking roles on low pay and want a fair slice of the pie.

“Newlat make 20 per cent of all their revenues in the UK and are making money off the backs of these workers. Yet they want to shortchange our members. Unite won’t stand for such behaviour and back our members 100 per cent.”

In its latest half year financial reports, the Newlat Group expects to achieve sales of 2.8 billion euros during this financial year with profits of approximately 188 million euros.

Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture, Paul Travers, said: “Newlat borrowed huge sums of money to buy Princes and is now looking to cut corners and penny pinch to pay that money back. Unite won’t let them do so with our members’ livelihoods.

“Newlat can avoid this strike, which is one of their own making, by coming back to the negotiating table with a new and improved pay deal for our members.”

Princes Food said it has had discussions with the union for several months and had "tabled an above inflation pay rise".

The company said it "fully understands" its "serious obligation to looking after colleagues".

However, it said it has the "exact same obligation to keeping Princes a sustainable business in the long-term through focusing on managing our costs and being a competitive supplier", BBC reported.