Morrisons staff at two of its UK distribution hubs are set to take strike action in a dispute over pensions.
Members of Unite union who work at the supermarket’s Gadbrook and Wakefield warehouses, including stock controllers, cooks, canteen staff and administrators, voted “”overwhelmingly in favour” for the two three days walkout, The Grocer reported.
Approximately 1,000 members were involved in the ballot, with nearly 97% voting in favour of the strikes, the first of which will kick off at 5am on 23 May until 5am on 26 May, with the second strike dates set for 13-15 June.
Unite previously claimed that changes to Morrisons pensions would leave staff around £500 worse off a year and entail other changes including the loss of a service award, which would result in workers being “significantly worse off” in their pay packets.
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Other changes the union is objecting against include adopting a “new unpopular pick rate” – the speed in which warehouse items are packaged – as well as the removal of a service award, and enforced changes to jobs roles.
The union has predicted that Morrisons’ stores in north Wales and shops with small chilled goods warehousing capacity will be worst hit from the strike action.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is focused on our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and these unmerited changes to workers’ pensions will leave our members worse off every month.
“Unite will not stand for such behaviour from any employer, let alone one like Morrisons who is raking in massive profits during a cost-of-living crisis. Its flagrant profiteering and then cutting our members’ take-home pay is a disgrace.”
Unite national officer Adrian Jones added: “Despite our best efforts over a number of meetings, it seems that Morrisons are not interested in resolving this dispute as they have refused to negotiate over the changes to our members’ pensions and long service awards.
“Along with several other issues we have attempted to get management to see sense and find a way forward but to no avail. Morrisons will now witness the anger and ill-feeling of our members when they see them on picket lines outside their warehouses.”
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