ETI is an alliance of trade unions, NGOs and businesses, including all leading UK supermarkets, that works to “promote practical solutions to end the abuse of human rights at work”.
More than 700 Unite members employed at the Bakkavor facility in Spalding, Lincolnshire, have been taking part in industrial action since 27 September last year as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite said that it filed the complaint because Bakkavor’s management has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations and has instead brought in strike-breakers from other sites.
In response, Bakkavor CEO Mike Edwards said it was untrue that the firm had breached ethical trading regulations and described the move as a “tactic”.
As it stands, Bakkavor has offered a 7.8% raise to its lowest paid employees and 6.4% across all other grades, as well as a £350 per head bonus.
But Unite has argued that its members have seen their pay decrease by 10.6% in real terms over the last three years, and are demanding a raise of 81p per hour on average as most workers at the Spalding site are paid just 10p more than the minimum wage.
According to Bakkavor, some striking workers have accepted the offer privately.
Unite targeting retailers
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that Bakkavor’s behaviour had left the union with no choice but to file a complaint.
“Not only are we telling their customers about their unethical behaviour, but we will be targeting any company that continues to do business with them,” Graham added.
The union is also escalating its campaign targeting customers of Marks & Spencer, who are being asked to contact the firm’s board to demand that Bakkavor return to negotiations.
As the escalation campaign further accelerates Unite will also target customers at Waitrose and Pizza Express with a similar message.
Sharon Graham continued: “Major UK supermarkets like M&S claim to care about their workforce and those of their suppliers. Well it is now clear that they cannot continue to pretend it is business as usual with a company like Bakkavor who treats its workers so badly.”
Pay is ‘above inflation’
The Spalding site is responsible for producing ready meals, soups, dips, salads, desserts, pizzas and breads for several retailers, but Edwards insisted that the strike action has failed to disrupt Bakkavor’s business.
“Over the past three years, CPI in the UK has grown by 21%,” he continued.
“At our Spalding site over the same three-year period, the pay rate has risen by between 21.2% and 22.8% for colleagues – above inflation for the period. Furthermore, we think it useful to confirm as a matter of fact that the cost of labour at Spalding is the highest across all our UK sites – something that sits at the very heart of the problem with Unite’s position on this matter.
“Given our significant efforts to engage in meaningful negotiations and the strong offer we put forward, Unite’s ongoing calls for rejection made it obvious that the 2024 collective bargaining process was exhausted. Therefore, we lawfully proceeded to offer colleagues the proposed pay offer on an individual basis.”
