Jiffy bag workers to strike in pay dispute

Workers want an 8% pay rise but were offered 1.5%

Workers at a Jiffy packaging plant are to take part in strike action after rejecting a 1.5% pay increase.

More than 50 workers at the factory in Winsford, Cheshire, will strike next month after dismissing the offer as "paltry".

Members of the Unite union are demanding an 8% rise backdated to 1 April and plan to walk out from 1-13 July.

The BBC has contacted Jiffy for a response but was told no-one was available.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a paltry pay offer from a packaging company that could stuff envelopes full of cash with the profits it's making."

She added: "Yet it’s choosing to give its workers a raw deal instead of rewarding and valuing their hard work."

Padded envelopes

The union said the company, which is synonymous with padded envelopes and other packaging materials, made nearly £6m in gross profits according to their last accounts "so can easily afford to make a decent pay offer to their employees."

Members also start an overtime ban on 1 July.

The union said workers had been offered a "real terms pay cut" in the cost-of-living crisis and real rate of inflation (RPI) standing at 4.3%.

Unite said workers were furious that they only received eight weeks of sick pay and wanted to see an increase to 12 weeks.

They are also seeking the reinstatement of breaks during the working day and changes to bank holiday working practices.