Around 200 workers at a Cardiff food factory are striking due to a pay dispute with new owners, impacting production and potential shortages.
Cardiff: So, there’s a big strike happening at a food factory in Cardiff. About 200 workers at the Princes factory are walking out today because they’re not happy with their pay. This all started after the new owners decided to scrap a previous pay deal.
The factory is pretty massive, covering 35,000 square meters, and it’s one of six in the UK. If things don’t get sorted out, they’re planning another strike on December 24. The workers are represented by Unite, and they’re really frustrated about the pay situation.
Before the factory changed hands, the workers were promised a pay rise of 4 to 7 percent, depending on their salary. But now that the Italian company Newlat S.p.A owns it, they’ve pulled that offer and are only giving a 3 percent raise instead.
Unite is warning that this strike could lead to shortages of products, especially juice, during the holiday season. But Princes is saying that’s not true and that they’ve got enough stock to last through the festive period.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, is calling on Newlat to come back to the negotiating table. She pointed out that the workers are doing tough jobs for low pay and just want a fair deal.
She also mentioned that Newlat makes a good chunk of their money in the UK, so it’s not fair for them to shortchange the workers. Unite is standing firm and will support their members in this fight.
Princes, on the other hand, expressed disappointment over the strike. They believe their pay offer is reasonable, especially since they’ve given substantial raises over the past five years, including an 8 percent increase just last year.
They argue that they’ve been fair and that the current economic climate makes it tough to offer more without raising prices for consumers. It’s a tricky situation, and both sides seem pretty set in their ways.