UK

Bakkavor food strikers have had enough of ‘bosses’ insults’

‘A voucher to spend in the employee shop is a pitiful’ said one worker

Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham (centre, left) on the Bakkavor picket line

By Arthur Townend in Lincolnshire
Friday 18 October 2024 

SOCIALIST WORKER Issue

Bakkavor food workers in Lincolnshire say they’re “having a huge impact” as they began the fourth week of a 12-week strike on Friday.

Over 700 Unite union members at the food factory in Spalding walked out against poverty pay on 27 September.

Cars beeped in support as they drove past the picket line outside the massive Bakkavor site, which supplies Sainsburys, M&S and Tesco. Striker Dave told Socialist Worker, “It’s been a really strong strike—and Unite has gained members over the strike.

“There are about 770 members here now so it’s a very strong membership.”

In May, 95 percent of the Unite members at Bakkavor rejected a 6 percent pay offer. Management then offered a 7.8 percent pay rise to its lowest paid workers and 6.4 percent to all other workers.

Bosses then offered a further £50 as a one-off payment—but couldn’t stem workers’ anger. “For years we’ve had below inflation pay rises,” said Dave. “We had 7.5 percent in 2022 and 6 percent in 2023.

“This year Bakkavor says its offer is above inflation. But the last two years have been below inflation, so this doesn’t come close to covering the past. Bakkavor also said it would increase overtime pay this year, but it hasn’t.

He added, “Management hasn’t got a leg to stand on and they aren’t really negotiating with us. We want to get back to work. Some of us are really suffering, but Bakkavor is refusing to pay us fairly.”

Another striker, Peter, told Socialist Worker, “I’m losing money every week and I’m not happy about that. But it’s important that we win.”

Workers are putting significant pressure on Bakkavor—the scale of the strike means bosses can’t operate its supply chain as normal. “Bakkavor has cut its supply for this site by almost half,” one striker explained to Socialist Worker.

Strikes at companies such as Bakkavor show the power workers have to hit bosses’ profits at key points in the capitalist economy.

“We’re having a huge impact and we can see that,” the striker added. “Bakkavor is starting to produce what it would normally produce here in Spalding at other sites because we’re refusing to work.

“This reallocation is really putting the pressure on and making it difficult for them.”

The striker added that “for us, the biggest thing is to look out for our fellow workers”. “We know of full time workers having to resort to food banks,” they said.

“Getting a pay rise is about what’s fair and making sure that people don’t just survive but actually live.”

Striker Eve said that “Unite general secretary Sharon Graham came to the picket” on Wednesday. “It was massive,” she told Socialist Worker. “People from the public came. It shows the support we have—we want what’s right and what’s fair.”

“Management was not happy with the noise or the size of it. They don’t treat us right and that shows in the pay rises they’ve offered us.”

Diego gets paid barely above the minimum wage of £11.44 an hour. He told Socialist Worker, “I want Bakkavor to say, ‘Here’s 8 percent because that’s what’s fair for the work you do.’ But they never reward us for our work and they always try to pay us the least possible.

“They won’t match our wage to inflation, and management is claiming this pay offer matches inflation but it’s just all lies. Management tried to lie to us about what strike pay we’d get. It said we’d only get £50 a week, which is a lie.

“Then they tried to buy us off with a £50 payment one off payment rather than increasing their pay offer. They treat us like idiots—we know what we’re fighting for.”

Workers aren’t just angry with bosses over pay, but their whole attitude. Peter, who is also in the lowest band of pay, told Socialist Worker, “I wouldn’t even wipe my shoes on management, it’s that bad. I’ve been here over two decades but management doesn’t treat us right.

“I find management patronising. They treat us like we’re stupid, like we’re kids. Bakkavor treated me really poorly when I was off work with anxiety. We’re not people to them, we’re numbers.

“And because they treat us like that, they don’t care what we go through. They’re in their offices nice and warm—we’re in the cold, working in the freezers or outside in the rain. But we earn their money for them.”

Diego added, “Management won’t fix what’s broken—so then we have to use machines that don’t work properly and we get blamed for that. If a faulty machine breaks, then we get blamed.

“We also get pushed to work lots of different jobs in the factory, but Bakkavor won’t recognise this when it comes to paying us. It just says we’re single skill workers.

“They’ll give us pitiful rewards, like give us a letter or a voucher to spend in the employee shop, but that’s not helpful. It’s an insult.”

Workers at Bakkavor are determined to win higher pay—and put manners on management. “If you don’t stand strong, you don’t get anywhere,” said Peter.

A win for the Bakkavor workers would boost everyone fighting for higher pay. Trade unionists should build solidarity for their fight and raise donations in their workplaces and union branches.All names used are pseudonyms

To support Bakkavor workers, please donate to the strike fund: 

Unite East Midlands Regional 1% Fund | 20173975 | 60-83-01