The Unite Union confirmed yesterday that it was planning a series of strikes at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ (CCEP) soft drink plant in Wakefield, the largest in Europe, due to a dispute over pay.
The workers are planning 14 days of strikes between 8 June and 22 June, with the union warning that the action will hit supplies of drinks such as Coca-Cola and Fanta over the summer months.
Hundreds of workers at the plant voted for industrial action by a margin of 87% in protest over a pay offer which Unite claims does nothing to address the cost of living crisis.
The CCEP wage deal across different grades amounts to an average 6% increase.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is making profits in the billions but it’s delivering a pay cut to the very workers who are making them.
“Its profits are up 37% to an astronomical £1.85bn. Offering workers a real terms pay cut when business is booming is nothing short of corporate greed. The workforce are rightly furious at the company’s profiteering.”
CCEP Wakefield can produce 360,000 cans and 132,000 bottles per hour.
Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson added: “Coca-Cola’s pay offer has fallen flat. Now a series of strikes will inevitably shut down the production of Britain’s favourite soft drinks, including Coca-Cola. But Industrial action can still be avoided at Europe’s biggest soft drinks plant if bosses realise that they must pay workers a fair wage from the company’s enormous profits.”
A statement from CCEP said: “While Unite has chosen to proceed with industrial action, we remain fully committed to maintaining talks with our colleagues at our Wakefield site … we have robust contingency measures in place and are confident that there will be no disruption to our trade customers.”
