Nestlé’s Nanas down knitting needles in pay dispute
22 June 2010
WHERE: Cereal Partners UK, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14
6PG.
WHEN: From 5am, Thursday, 24 June 2010
Unite members working at Cereal Partners UK (CPUK), a joint
venture by Nestlé and General Mills in Trowbridge, will take part
in a series of 48 hour strikes beginning at 6am on Thursday (24
June) in a row over a pay-freeze.
This dispute is over an enforced national pay-freeze policy
announced by Nestlé and the refusal of the local CPUK management to
deviate from the Nestlé imposed stand-still on pay.
Unite members on the picket line will be dressed as the
‘Knitting Nanas’ who are famed for knitting the Bitesize Shredded
Wheat breakfast cereal.
Two further 48 hour stoppages have been scheduled to commence on
8 July and 26 August 2010.
Unite members at CPUK make house-hold products such as Bitesize
Shredded Wheat, Frosted Flakes, Frosted and Coco Shreddies and if
industrial action goes ahead, production for these products will
halt.
Unite regional officer, Jim D’Avila, said: “Negotiations with
local CPUK management has resulted in deadlock as the company
refused point-blank to negotiate a pay increase. Management have
since refused to have further meetings.
“This has left our members in the plant no choice but to
consider industrial action in an attempt to get the company around
the negotiating table and make an offer to the staff working
there.
“Our preferred solution is a negotiated settlement, and this
remains the case.”
ENDS
For further information contact Jim D’Avila on 07788 641516 or
Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite press office on 020 7420 8914 or
07980 224761.
