Press Release

Strike could hit UK poultry supply and Sunday lunch says Unite

28 November 2008

Unite, the UK’s biggest union, is to ballot its members at three sites within the Two Sisters Food Group for industrial action over low pay.

All three sites in the Midlands have a combined production of 1.5million chickens per week. If Unite members vote to strike it would jeopardise the supply of poultry products to all of the major supermarket suppliers, and inevitably hit supermarket shelves.

Two Sisters, one of the UK's biggest poultry products companies, has proposed an offer of £214 per week. This is just eight pence an hour above the minimum wage for staff who work for a 37.5 hour week usually on unsociable hours, split between morning and afternoon shifts. Unite has denounced this as a shocking level of payment proposed by the company and does not reflect the hard work the staff put in.

Negotiations began in June but the company have not yet disclosed any financial figures to assist the negotiations.
Joe Clarke, Unite Regional Industrial Organiser, said: “We have been forced into this action which will hit supermarket shelves and a Sunday lunch favourite. This is not our preferred choice of route to resolve this outstanding pay dispute and beat poverty pay.

“Our members work long, highly unsociable hours which hits their family life hard. Our members keep the supermarket chains producing good quality food and are only asking for a living wage in return. In the face of the company's derisory offer, we have no option but to ballot our members for industrial action and win them fair pay.”