Employees at the Swiss food and drink manufacturing giant’s Buxton, Carlisle, Halifax, Tutbury and York facilities have secured a 3.9% pay increase.
The deal was negotiated by Unite, which claims to represent more than 1,200 of Nestlé’s UK staff.
This latest pay increase, which workers voted to accept, stands at 0.3% above the retail prices index (RPI) rate of inflation. The one-year pay deal will be backdated to April 2026.
“This deal was achieved because Nestlé workers are in a strong union and benefit from collective bargaining,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
“Unite does what it says on the trade union tin – achieving better jobs, pay and conditions for our members.”
Nestlé currently employs more than 7,500 people across Britain and Ireland. This number is set to fall in the near future, however, as the company announced plans to cut 450 UK jobs last month, primarily from its York facility and Gatwick head office.
The news follows sweeping plans unveiled by the manufacturer to cut as many as 16,000 roles from its global workforce, which according to the most recent estimates comprises 271,000 employees.
These losses come off the back of a torrid start to the year for Nestlé after it was engulfed in a scandal involving a large-scale global recall of its baby formula. It did, however, register solid organic growth in the first quarter.
On the win, Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture Pat McIlvogue added: “This deal is another example of why food, drink and agriculture workers looking for a better deal at work should join Unite and organise their colleagues to join too. There is power in a union, there is power in Unite.”
Food Manufacture contacted Nestlé, but a spokesperson for the firm said that it did not comment on pay negotiations.
