In recent weeks, Bakkavor’s colleagues across its 21 UK sites have delivered Christmas for millions of UK families. Bakkavor has worked closely with its customers to ensure there has been a seamless supply of festive foods – and Bakkavor would like to thank its 13,500 colleagues across the UK who have worked hard to deliver the many hundreds of food products that have been available at supermarkets nationwide this Christmas.
As part of its broad package of support for colleagues, Bakkavor has successfully implemented pay rises for its colleagues which have been warmly welcomed across 20 of its UK sites.
The one exception has been Spalding, where Unite the Union has been encouraging its members to maintain strike action. Reflecting on this period of industrial action at Spalding, Mike Edwards, CEO at Bakkavor comments: “We are disappointed that Unite the Union has been so disruptive. They have repeatedly made emotive claims about the strength of our pay offer which are based on false or misrepresented information – as was the inaccurate and sensational dossier they prepared on claimed product shortages, which featured products we don’t even make – as well as products that, in truth, are readily available on supermarket shelves nationwide. Set against these attempts to damage our business, we have put forward a good pay offer to our colleagues.
“Add to this, in the last few days, Unite claimed we do not have the right to present our Spalding colleagues with the increases to rates of pay and the bonus on an individual basis. Once again the misguided behaviour of the Union has no substance. An impasse (‘failure to agree’) was reached following Unite’s actions, when they advised its members to reject our improved and final pay offer and bonus – effectively preventing the industrial action from ending sensibly.
“Set against these attempts to damage our business, we have put forward a good pay offer to our colleagues. Further, 2024 has seen record levels of employee engagement and staff retention – and our Long Service Awards have celebrated the careers of thousands of colleagues that have chosen to spend between 5 and 30 years with the business. This tells its own story.”
“Pleasingly, common sense does seem to be prevailing. The majority of Spalding colleagues are taking no part in the strike and colleagues from other Bakkavor sites have volunteered to support the Spalding team to ensure disruption is minimised. Further, more than 800 Spalding colleagues have individually accepted and welcomed Bakkavor’s pay offer – including some strikers who have chosen to end their dispute with the business.”
Bakkavor’s improved pay offer to Spalding colleagues amounts to a 7.8% increase to our lowest paid colleagues, 6.4% across all other grades. In addition, a discretionary £350 per head bonus is available until the New Year.
Mike Edwards, CEO at Bakkavor adds: “Once again, the management team would like to thank our colleagues across the UK for delivering Christmas. We are pleased that colleagues across 20 of our sites warmly welcomed their pay rises this year and, despite Union efforts to fuel disruption at Spalding, the majority of our colleagues are reporting to work as usual and have also accepted our proposed pay deal. Over the past three years, the pay rate at Spalding for our lowest paid colleagues has risen by 22.8% and all other grades by 21.2% – both above inflation for the period. This excludes improvements we have made to broader benefits over the same period. This is something we are proud of, as it’s a track record of consistency and support for colleagues that few businesses have been able to achieve in recent years.”