Canteen staff employed by a third-party contractor at a Morrisons distribution centre are considering strike action, after rejecting a pay offer they claim adds “nothing” to their hourly pay.
Around 30 workers, who are employed by catering company BaxterStorey in the canteen of Morrisons Bellshill distribution centre in Lanarkshire, have begun voting on whether to take industrial action, which could include strikes, said GMB Scotland.
Hinting at the series of ongoing pay discrimination cases brought by GMB against supermarkets including Morrisons and Asda, GMB Scotland organiser John McCartney claimed the workers – who are mostly women – were being unfairly treated as the one-off pay offer does not match similar offers made by other companies delivering support services within the depot.
BaxterStorey has offered catering staff a one-off payment of £500 for those who work 21 hours a week, and £250 for those contracted to less. GMB Scotland claimed this added “nothing” to caterers’ salary or hourly rate.
“The work of our members in catering, who are mostly women and among the lowest-paid on site, is fundamental to the good running of this complex but they are being treated with absolute disrespect,” McCartney said.
“This offer does not put a penny on their hourly rate or a pound on their salary. It does not match offers made by other contractors delivering other support services.
“Our members do not believe it is a coincidence that more men work in those services.”
Although the workers are employed by a third party, and not by Morrisons itself, McCartney claimed the supermarket had a responsibility to ensure offers are improved, as the depot serves its stores.
Three other contractors serving the site had agreed to pay deals for mechanics, cleaners and warehouse staff.
“Negotiations drag on for weeks and months but the real decision-makers are not even in the room,” McCartney said.
“The catering staff are vital to this crucial transport hub and it is beyond time for that to be appreciated and fairly recognised.”
If the caterers voted to strike, it risked disruption to a “key” facility supplying stores across Scotland, GMB said.
The Grocer has contacted Morrisons and BaxterStorey for comment.
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