Bakers at Gunstones Bakery, Sheffield, have gone on strike today (15 June) over a pay freeze.
Workers at the 2 Sisters-owned site began a 48-hour strike after they claimed management had backtracked on promises of a pay rise, following 427 people being made redundant.
According to the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers’ Union (BFAWU), which organised the strike, the bakery has cited the overall cost of the redundancies as a reason for not increasing pay.
John Higgins of the union also explained that the site was still using more than 200 agency workers, despite being told that the agency was only bought in while the company restructured around the redundancies.
Higgins was at the site at the picket line when British Baker spoke to him. He said: “The atmosphere is good because people are so fed up with how they are being treated; they just don’t care.
“We hope the strike will result in the manager agreeing to sit down at the table with us again over this.”
Higgins said he expected to be joined by around 90 workers who were participating in the strike.
In a statement, Gunstones said: "We are keen to continue meaningful talks with colleagues and their union representatives so that we can reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion.
"We will work with our customers to create contingency plans which will minimise the effects of action."
Another 48-hour strike is set to take place on 17 and 18 of July.
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