Manchester, UK: The union Usdaw has begun two formal industrial action ballots covering nine Tesco Distribution sites after members overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest pay offers.
The two disputes involve Tesco distribution centres at: Daventry, Goole, Hinckley, Lichfield, Livingston, Magor (both trunk and main site), Peterborough and Southampton. The latest offers included one of a 4% per hour pay rise.
The ballots will run between 22 November and 6 December. If members vote in favour the union warns that strike action will take place in the week of 20 December unless the company makes an improved offer.
Joanne McGuinness, Usdaw national officer, says: “Our members in nine distribution centres have rejected Tesco’s latest pay offers, so we are balloting them on industrial action.
“Retail distribution workers are key workers who delivered essential services throughout the pandemic, which in turn delivered a 16.5% increase in profit to Tesco for the first half of the year. These workers deserve a decent pay rise as their reward for what they have done and continue to do day in day out; couple that with the rising cost of living and inflation currently running at 6%, the company needs to do better.”
“The potential of industrial action and possible stock shortages in stores in the week before Christmas can be avoided, if the company comes back to the table with a better offer that is acceptable to our members.”
A Tesco spokesperson told the press: ““We have put forward a fair and competitive pay offer to our colleagues, which is one of the highest awards made within our distribution business in the last 25 years.”
A letter sent to staff by Tesco management warned that “if strike action takes place and we do not deliver stock on time to stores, we put our business and the future of your site at risk.”
