n By Alan Jones
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A supermarket says they want to buy a product for an amount. If they don’t get exactly that, they go elsewhere. Firms want to keep the business so they accept it, and then attack the terms and conditions of their own staff
Bev Clarkson, Unite national officer
“There is strong support for industrial action among our members and it is definitely causing shortages of supplies to supermarkets.”
Sam said some workers at the site have been forced to use food banks because they struggle to make ends meet.
Bakkavor, like other food manufacturers, employs a lot of migrant workers from countries including Poland and Romania and Sam says their support for industrial action has been solid.
Work in food manufacturing can be tough, with long shifts, in cold conditions, so recruitment and retention can be an issue.
Bev Clarkson, Unite’s national officer for food, drink and agriculture, said workers in the sector often look for
jobs with better pay and conditions, taking advantage of the huge growth in areas such as parcel delivery work.
“People are not loyal to their employers so we are seeing a constant churn in the workforce,” she told Landworker.
“Companies don’t have to cut pay or terms and conditions such as paid breaks or enhanced weekend wage rates, because they are profitable.”
Bev lays much of the blame for disputes in the food and drink industry at the door of supermarkets, who have the power to demand lower prices or switch to alternative suppliers.
“Supermarkets are answerable to their shareholders – and they want to keep increasing their profits.
“One way of doing it is to push down costs within the supply chain. A supermarket will say they want to buy a product for a certain amount, and if they don’t get what they want, they go elsewhere.
19 uniteLANDWORKER Autumn 2024
“Firms want to keep the business so they accept it, and then attack the terms and conditions of their own staff.”
Bev believes this is largely why so many disputes have broken out in the sector.
She has also heard of cases where supermarket workers are using food banks.
“It’s appalling that supermarket workers can’t afford to shop in the stores where they actually work,” she said.
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Mark Thomas
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