Industrial action from over 500 workers at Greencore’s Manton Wood site in Nottinghamshire has been suspended, trade union Unite has confirmed.
Having previously announced four weeks of strikes which were due to start on Monday 11 September, the union members are said to now be considering a new deal tabled by the food-to-go manufacturing giant, which is a major supplier of sandwiches and ready meals to supermarkets and high street retailers.
“Greencore has finally come back to the negotiating table after the threat of strike action by our members,” commented Unite regional officer Andy Shaw. “As a good-will gesture, we have called off industrial action while we put this new offer to our members.”
While details of the “last-chance saloon offer” have yet to be revealed, Greencore appeared confident it would be accepted.
“Following further negotiation with Unite in recent days, we are pleased to have reached agreement in principle on a deal that we believe is in the best interests of our colleagues at Manton Wood and, importantly, means that potential industrial action at the site can be avoided,” said a company spokesperson.
According to Unite, its members perform a range of vital roles at Greencore including factory line workers, quality controllers, store workers and cleaners. It noted that many of its 500 members were paid as little as £10.53 an hour and were demanding increased pay during the current cost-of-living crisis.
Greencore’s full-year results to 30 September 2022 showed a £15.8m profit on ordinary activities after tax for the period. A trading update last October for the fourth quarter reported full-year revenue of £1.7bn, up from £1.3bn in 2021.
It’s website lists a total of 16 factory location across the UK, and customers including M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Aldi, Lidl, and Co-op as well as high street chains like Boots, Starbucks, and Caffé Nero.
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