STRIKES by workers at a west Cumbrian factory may cause shortages of Walkers crisps and Kellogg’s cereal packets, a union has warned.
About 100 workers at Amcor Flexibles in Workington will strike over the company’s six per cent pay offer.
Unite the Union say this is the second year that workers have received a below inflation pay rise.
Amcor have been approached for comment.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Amcor cannot expect its workers to swallow a real terms pay cut for the second year in a row. It can fully afford to put forward a fair pay offer.
“Unite does not tolerate attacks on our members’ jobs, pay or conditions and the Amcor Workington workforce have their union’s total support.”
Amcor Packaging specialises in flexible packaging production, particularly for the food industry, including for the Walkers and Kellogg’s brands.
Workers perform a number of roles at the factory, including in printing, extrusion and lamination, and the strikes are expected to cause ‘significant disruption’ to Amcor’s operations.
The 24-hour strikes will take place on May 29, June 1, June 3, June 5 and June 9. Unite say further industrial action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved.
Unite regional officer Ryan Armstrong said: “Kellogg’s and Walkers will not be happy they are facing packaging delays that could result in shortages for consumers.
“This is entirely the fault of Amcor for refusing to put forward a fair deal. Strike action can still be avoided but that requires an offer being made that our members can accept.”
At the time, bosses said the restructure would help the business to ensure it was ‘best positioned to serve customers’ and would ‘succeed in the long-term’.
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