Tesco workers vote for pre-Christmas strikes
Staff at four Tesco distribution depots are due to take strike action before and during the Christmas period in a dispute over pay.
The Unite union members – who include warehouse workers and HGV drivers – are based at depots in Didcot, Doncaster, Antrim and Belfast. Workers voted to take industrial action after Tesco offered a 4% pay rise.
Action is due to begin with an initial 48-hour stoppage at the Didcot and Doncaster sites at 6am on Thursday 16th December, followed by a further five-day stoppage starting on Monday 20th December.
The two sites will then see a further 48-hour stoppage beginning on Thursday 30th December and another three-day stoppage from Wednesday 5th January.
Unite members at the Antrim and Belfast centres will began an all-out continuous strike on Thursday 16th December.
The union is also balloting its members for strike action at Tesco’s Livingston distribution centre, with the ballot due to close on Monday 6th December. Unite national officer Adrian Jones said the supermarket chain could still avoid disruption by making “a greatly improved offer.”
A Tesco spokesperson said the company was “fair recognition” of the work staff had done throughout the pandemic. They stated that contingency plans were in place to mitigate the impact of any strike action and Tesco was confident it could “deliver Christmas for our customers.”
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