A group of striking workers picketing the Allied Bakeries factory in Bootle, Liverpool. (Alan Gibbons) 2100x1400

Source: Alan Gibbons

A group of striking workers picket the Allied Bakeries factory in Bootle, Liverpool

Allied Bakeries workers are staging two 48-hour strikes outside their factory in Bootle, Liverpool in a dispute over pay.

Picketing started at 7am on Tuesday (30 May), with an additional period of industrial action set to occur on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend strike is said to have a bigger effect on production at the site, which produces morning goods such as crumpets and pancakes for the Kingsmill brand as well as suppermarket own labels.      

A bargaining group of around 100 members of the Bakers, Food & Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) claimed they had ‘no choice but to strike’ after having their requests for a pay increase ‘repeatedly dashed’.

BFAWU regional officer Roy Streeter, who led the negotiations with the manufacturer, said they had hoped for a reasonable settlement and recognition for the tough times their employees were facing during the cost-of-living crisis.

“It’s been hard work to get anything near a decent proposal from the company. So much so that workers have taken part in numerous pay ballots, which have failed to meet their minimum requests, so the workforce has overwhelmingly rejected them.”

Streeter claimed that, despite the consolidated rate appearing to meet the national minimum wage, the pay fell below what used to be recognised as the unsocial hour’s shift premium when broken down as an hourly rate.

According to Streeter, a worker – under condition of anonymity – had told the union: “We worked through the Covid pandemic in difficult working conditions, classed as essential workers, keeping the site open feeding the nation with above-average performances and now we are struggling to feed ourselves and families”.

Labour MP Ian Byrne MP wrote “Time to pay the workforce fairly Associated British Foods. #KingsmillStrike” in a Twitter post this morning (30 May), including a photograph of strikers in high-vis vests picketing the entrance of the facility.

Allied Bakeries, owned by parent company Associated British Foods (ABF), produces bakery products for brands including Kingsmill, Allinson’s, and Sunblest.

ABF results for the first half of the financial year included a 17% increase in sales of its overall food business for the 24 weeks ended 4 March 2023, up to £5.3bn. It also showed improved performance throughout the period for Allied Bakeries after the business secured significant pricing.

The company responded to claims from the BFAWU that it had been boasting about increases in profits and shareholder rewards by pointing to the ‘well-publicised economic challenges in the UK bakery sector’.

Discussions on several possible solutions with union representatives had reportedly been underway since last November, with a company statement expressing disappointment that some employees were now taking industrial action.

Allied Bakeries noted it believed an offer amounting to a 10% salary increase over two years was ‘fair and responsible’, adding it hoped to resume constructive dialogue with employees as soon as possible. ”We remain fully focused on finding a solution that works for all concerned,” ended the statement.

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