Union to ballot members over strike action at three poultry plants

Workers at three poultry plants are being balloted for industrial action over pay, according to The Birmingham Mail.

Unite, the UK’s biggest union, is to canvass its members for possible strike action at three sites in the West Midlands belonging to the 2 Sisters Food Group.

The Union claims that the company’s latest offer was “derisory” and it had no option but to ballot its members for industrial action and “win them fair pay”.

However, a spokesperson for 2 Sisters responded by stressing: “In addition to a number of other valuable benefits, we’ve offered Unite a 3.8% increase and a guarantee that there will be no redundancies in the next six months which, in the current economic climate, is an exceptional package.

“We’ve been open and straight with Unite and we’re disappointed that they have so far been unable to demonstrate any willingness to compromise – instead, their bullying tactics suggest that they’d prefer to encourage employees to take industrial action.”

The spokesman added: “We don’t envisage industrial action disrupting our supply base and we’re cautiously optimistic that we could conclude the pay deal when we meet with Unite tomorrow.”