Workers with three food-production companies are fighting asset-stripping, strike-breaking employers, and finding inspiring solidarity, reports Richard Allday

Over 2,000 members of Unite are on strike at two major ready-meal producers in the UK. In Wrexham, 500 workers voted overwhelmingly in September to oppose the employer’s attempt to cut wages by £3,000 through their ‘fire-and-rehire’ strategy, a tactic Starmer promised to outlaw in his election campaign. They were joined by around 500 Unite members at Bakkavor’s Spalding site in Lincolnshire, who rejected the company’s pay offer and demanded a living wage increase.

Both companies specialise in ready meals and off-the-shelf snacks. Both groups of workers have been on strike now for over four months, and the mood on the picket line is remarkably upbeat. Cameron, Unite’s convenor at Spalding, said that the company is trying to maintain production by employing strikebreakers contracted by an employment agency: ‘But we know that our action is hitting them. The trade press has reported empty shelves in the soup section at Tesco’s, and the company has had to apologise to other leading supermarkets for the absence of taramasalata and other dips.’

They were joined this month by over 1,000 fellow Unite members working for the Princes Food group, who have rejected management’s 3% pay offer but are incensed by their new owner’s feudal attitude to negotiating. Three different strikes, three different employers; but the strikes have a common thread running through them.

They all face particularly obdurate employers, who seem to think the role of workers is to touch their forelocks and be grateful for the job. Bakkavor is owned by the Icelandic brothers Gudmundsson, who are such successful entrepreneurs that they left Iceland under a cloud having been criminally prosecuted for fraud over their transfer of ownership of Bakkavor from themselves directly, to an investment fund controlled by them. The UK regulatory regime is apparently more attractive to them. (Whatever; these things happen. Just ask ex-PM Boris Johnson; or indeed, recently-departed Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq).

Brian, Unite’s convenor at the Wisbech factory told us that the company had been owned by Mitsubishi, but was sold halfway through the pay talks, to an Italian food group – Newlat – run by Angelo Mastrolia. His approach to resolving the dispute has been to withdraw Mitsubishi’s 3% offer and threaten to sell off or close Princes sites if they don’t accept his ‘offer’. (Princes Bradford site has already been told by Mastriola that he will transfer production to sites abroad if the workforce continues their strikes).

Oscar Mayer was bought last financial year by Pemberton Asset Management (although strikers told Counterfire that ‘Asset Strippers’ would be a more accurate name), who promptly added another £25M to the company’s overheads. The strikers are clear that Pemberton’s fire-and-rehire tactics are aimed at making the workers pay Pemberton’s debts.

Common struggle

So that’s the common thread running through the employers: money-grabbing, anti-union and viscerally opposed to workers’ rights. But there is more in common yet.

The picket lines are lively and well-attended. Bakkavor in Spalding and Princes’ sites in Wisbech and Long Sutton are all in strong Reform territory, and all are in the East of England, a region with a low density of union membership.

In addition, the workforce are highly diverse; a very high proportion of non-UK (i.e. migrant) labour. It means that English is very much a second language for a high proportion of the strikers. So it is a pleasure to see 100 or more strikers at each of those picket lines, all bound by the common link of solidarity.  As Jacek at Spalding put it: ‘Exploitation is the same for workers in every language.’

Equally heartening is the obvious support from passing traffic. In the time I was on each picket line, the majority of people passing shouted support or hooted their horns, and pickets told me that has been common throughout.

There is a valuable lesson here that Farage may be benefitting from ordinary people’s rejection of the established status quo (much the same resentment as led to the Leave vote in the EU referendum) but those self-same Leave voters are enthusiastic in their support for workers fighting back, regardless of their place of birth.

One other valuable lesson is that the solidarity and support received by the strikers is an essential contribution to maintaining their spirit and resolve. Our delegation from Unite’s LE7055 Road Haulage branch was enthusiastically welcomed and I heartily recommend that Counterfire supporters try to experience it themselves.

We have way more in common with our working-class sisters and brothers than with the likes of Farage and his ragbag assortment of racists and neanderthals. These workers need solidarity. Details below for picket lines and strike funds:

Bakkavor: pickets Monday-Friday, West Marsh Road, Spalding, 08.00-12.00

Donations:
Bakkavor strike fund,
c/o Sam Hennessy,
Unite House,
5 Kesteven Street,
Lincoln LN5 7LH

Princes Food: the company has now said it will lay off (lockout) strikers on non-strike days. I am still waiting on information as to Unite’s response.

Sites affected:
Wisbech: Mount Pleasant Road, opp. Cemetery.
Donations:
Name: Unite 8-10/671 Wisbech Branch;
Sort code 60-83-01
Acc no: 33211293;

Long Sutton: Hundreds Lane and Bridge Road
Bradford: drinks factory off Tong Street
Cardiff: Portmanmoor Road
Glasgow: Renfrew Road

Oscar Mayer: Monday-Friday 08.00-12.00
Ash Road South, Wrexham