Workers at Tetley are set for their first-ever strike in a dispute over pay, with union leaders warning that the action could lead to shortages of the brand’s tea on supermarket shelves.
Almost 150 members of the GMB union working at Tata Consumer Products, which makes Tetley Tea in Teesside, voted to walk out in anger at “poverty pay”. The industrial action will take place tomorrow and on Monday.
“This loyal, predominately female workforce has endured year after year of real terms pay cuts. Now they have had enough,” said Paul Clark, GMB Organiser.
“GMB members are being intimidated by management not to go on strike – they trying to bully workers rather than listen to their concerns and try to find a solution. Tata bosses need to get back round the table, or we face a shortage of the UK’s favourite cup of tea this autumn.”
In response, a spokesperson for Tata stated that unions had not presented its latest pay offer to its members before balloting for strike action.
“We are urging the unions to reconsider and present these offers for consideration by members so that we can reach a swift resolution in line with what’s reasonably affordable to the business and in the best interests of the factory,” they said.
The spokesperson noted that contingency plans had been drawn up to “enable production to continue with minimum disruption to supply”.
NAM Implications:
- This is a local example of real-world reductions in spending power over the past five years.
- The key issue is to what extent this dispute could spread within Tetley’s and amongst other organisations.
- Meanwhile, anticipate rivals optimising the inevitable shortages arising in tightly run supply chains…
