Plans for two 48-hour stoppages at Barry Callebaut’s Banbury plant, set for 28 September and 1 October, have been called off.
The new deal will see the union’s 108 members receive a 2.6% pay increase from September to April 2013, instead of the 1.5% previously on offer. This draws a line under the six-month-long dispute.
Workers have waged a battle for a fairer pay deal since April, after the company offered a 1.5% pay rise, failing to match the 2% given to workers at another site.
As part of the deal, agreed between the parties on 26 September, from April 2013 the union has secured a pay rise of RPI plus a minimum 1% to a maximum 3.5%, based on the RPI rate in March 2013.
Barry Callebaut makes chocolate pellets from raw cocoa and supplies most of the UK’s major chocolate manufacturers.
Staff had voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, with a ‘yes’ vote of 91.6% in favour.
Source: Unite
.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024