Hovis: Belfast workers end strike and accept pay offer

Hovis workers had been protesting outside their south Belfast factory

An 11-day strike by workers at the Hovis bakery plant in south Belfast has ended after staff accepted a pay offer.

Staff had wanted to be paid the same as their counterparts in Great Britain and began strike action on Friday 14 May.

They have voted to accept an 8% pay increase over two years, with the first increase backdated to January.

The union that represents the staff, Unite, said it was a "huge victory for these workers".

"This strike should never have had to occur; it reflected a total failure on the part of a management who repeatedly underestimated their own workforce," Unite regional officer Sean McKeever said.

"As a result of this entirely avoidable strike action, not a single loaf of bread was baked in 12 days."

He said that "supermarket and retailer shelves have been left bare of Hovis bread" because of the strike.

A spokesperson for Hovis said: "This pay dispute has caused significant disruption to our customers and end-consumers which is deeply disappointing, but we are pleased that our Belfast team can now get back to work.

"We have agreed with the unions for the Labour Relations Agency to conduct a review into ways of working between Hovis and the unions at the Belfast site."

Hovis, which produces its own brand of bread and products for major supermarkets, has previously said its Belfast operation produces 35% of all bread sold in Northern Ireland.