MORRISONS staff in Northwich are going on strike.
Unite has confirmed members working at the Gadbrook vegetable packhouse will take industrial action.
It comes amid an ongoing dispute over pensions, with the union claiming changes to pension contributions could leave workers £500 worse off.
Staff at the Morrisons warehouse will strike from May 23 to 26 and from June 13 to 16.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is focussed on our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and these unmerited changes to workers’ pensions will leave our members worse off every month.”
Approximately 1,000 Unite members work as stock controllers, cooks, canteen staff and administrators across two warehouses – the other being in Wakefield.
Their work ensures lorries are loaded and shelves filled in nearly 500 supermarkets and convenience stores.
Unite claim that these workers are being forced to increase their own pension contributions while Morrisons reduces its own contribution by the same amount.
This would mean employees are worse off in their pay packets while the supermarket giant pockets more money.
There are also changes workers have been made to adopt that Unite are unhappy with.
This includes a new ‘pick rate’ (the speed at which items are packed from warehouse shelves), the removal of a service award, enforced changes to job roles and a failure to correctly follow absence policies.
A ballot, which closed on Thursday (May 9), saw Unite members vote "overwhelmingly" in favour of taking industrial action over the dispute.
Speaking when the ballot first opened in April, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is focussed on our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and these unmerited changes to workers’ pensions will leave our members worse off every month.
“Unite will not stand for such behaviour from any employer, let alone one like Morrisons which is raking in massive profits in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
“It’s flagrant profiteering and then cutting our members’ take-home pay is a disgrace.”
Morrisons has been approached for comment.
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