A week-long strike begins on Tuesday
5th September followed by two more weeks of
action from Monday 18 September.
Eleventh-hour talks will get underway today (Monday
4th) to avoid a nut shortage across pubs and
supermarkets.
The factory in Rotherham is the sole producer of KP Nuts so the
walk-out will stop the production of one of Britain’s favourite
snacks.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “After weeks of
silence, management at KP Snacks have waited until the eleventh
hour to begin talks with Unite.”
“The workers have made it abundantly clear that they’re sick of
being paid peanuts while the company rakes in tens of millions in
profit. That’s why the workers are determined to secure a fair
pay deal, so they’ve announced two more weeks of strikes.”
The workers have rejected a below inflation eight per cent pay
offer while the company’s latest profits stood at £54 million.
The company has increased its profits by 275 per cent since 2018.
In stark contrast, average pay at KP Snacks has fallen in real
terms by 14 per cent since 2018.
Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson, “KP Snacks can
afford to shell out more from its £54 million in profits. A real
terms pay cut is just plain wrong when the company is flush with
cash.
“A campaign of strike action will hit pubs and supermarkets hard
unless management uses today’s talks as an opportunity to finally
make its workers a fair pay offer.”
