Supermarket shelves could be left empty of wine this summer, as factory workers at a bottling company plan strike action.
Over 200 Unite members at Encirc’s Avonmouth site in Bristol are planning to strike between 19 June and 5 July over a rejected pay offer.
Members at the factory work across different areas, including bottling and packaging red, white, rose and sparkling wine and distributing it from warehouses.
Workers in different parts of the business will take strike action on different dates and times according to production schedules to have the biggest impact. There will also be a 12-week overtime ban as part of the action.
According to Unite, Encirc supplies all the major supermarkets with wine and is a “very profitable company” with a turnover of over £600m.
However, the firm had only offered its workers a 3.2% pay rise without negotiating with Unite and had repeatedly stated from now on it will only give pay rises tied to inflation, it added.
This effectively means removing Unite’s collective bargaining rights, as any pay increases will be set by Encirc without negotiations before being imposed on workers. Previously, the union had been able to negotiate with management on pay.
According to Unite, Encirc asked for negotiations with conciliation service Acas. However, workers were then offered a worse deal than that which had already been rejected.
“There is no doubt that this action will hit supermarket shelves,” said Unite regional officer John Sweeney.
“While shortages may be frustrating for customers looking to enjoy a bottle of wine this summer, the situation is entirely of Encirc’s own making.
“Management has constantly refused to engage meaningfully. Encirc needs to return to the negotiating table with a vastly improved offer.”
A ‘fair and proportionate’ offer
A spokesman for Encirc told The Grocer: “We are incredibly disappointed with this planned industrial action.
“Encirc purchased the Bristol site just under two years ago and over that time we have worked hard to not only uplift pay and conditions, but to begin the process of integrating our businesses and creating a truly great place to work.
“If this latest pay offer was accepted, we would have increased pay for our Bristol-based site by more than 16% in less than two years. There are few companies in our sector globally who have done the same for their people.
“Our final offer includes a cost-of-living increase and pension contribution improvements. As a company we are resolute in our efforts to remain competitive whilst doing the best for our people, and we firmly believe that our offer was fair and proportionate.
“As such, at a time when we are already facing so many challenges, and need certainty for our customer base, this really is unexpected.
”Nevertheless, we will mitigate any impact this action could have, and we remain open to dialogue with the union in good faith.”
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