Union warns of shop food shortages during strike

Princes Food is known for creating Branston and its own brands of jars and tins of meat and fish

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

Employees at Princes Food, which has plants in Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, Bradford, Wisbech, Glasgow and Cardiff, will strike over pay in January.

Unite the Union said its members are taking industrial action after previous pay offers were revoked by new owners Newlat S.P.A.

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

Industrial action will take place at the factory in Long Sutton on 7, 9, 14 and 16 January.

Unite said that Princes Food had offered a three per cent pay rise, and had "failed to come back to the negotiating table with an improved offer after Christmas".

It added that the strikes are "likely to lead to shortages in supermarkets and shops across the country".

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Newlat needs 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."

'Penny pinch'

Paul Travers, Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture, added: "Newlat borrowed huge sums of money to buy Princes and is now looking to cut corners and penny pinch to pay that money back."

A spokesperson for Princes said: "It is now clear to us that it is becoming increasingly difficult to resolve this dispute with Unite.

"We have engaged the Union in discussions for several months, tabled an above inflation pay rise and had offered to backdate this to April 2024 whilst discussions were ongoing, but Unite advised us that they would not permit the business to do this."

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".

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