orkers at the Heinz Baked Beans factory in Wigan will go on strike next week in a row over pay.

Unite said its members at the site would walk out for 24 hours from next Wednesday evening and begin a continuous ban on overtime.

The action was agreed at a mass meeting on Saturday after last week's decision to reject a pay offer of 3.3% this year and 3% the following year.

Heinz said the outcome of the ballot was "very disappointing".

A spokesman said its pay offer in the first year equated to 4% "in real terms".

"This is well above the UK average weekly earnings which are increasing by 1.7%, and remains a very fair offer," he added.

"As a package it stands out as one of the best in the food and drink sector, the area and the country."

About 1,200 people are employed at the Greater Manchester factory, which produces beans, soups, pasta meals and baby food.

Unite said the stoppage would lead to two million fewer cans being produced, but Heinz denied this, saying it had "already taken steps to manage stock levels to ensure consumers are not disappointed".

Speaking after the mass meeting, Jennie Formby, Unite's national officer for food and drink, said: "The mood of the meeting was angry and determined.

"Heinz have left our members with no choice but to stand firm and fight for a fair pay deal."

She added: "They are treating its loyal and long-serving workforce disgracefully. It's our members that helped them make its vast profits yet they are still refusing to table an improved offer that reflects their hard work.

"Make no mistake, this strike will hit Christmas production.

"Our members are absolutely determined to win fair pay and we are determined to see that they get it. Unless Heinz forks out a fairer deal, then strike action will go ahead."

They need to pay a visit to Picksburgh PA, world headquarters of the Heinz Corporation.

They need atleast 57 workers, one for each variety

They need atleast 57 workers, one for each variety


^
|
|
;D ;D  Karma +1

Sounds like those folks are in a real pickle.

Heinz ketchup... "good things come to those who..... who go on strike" lol

Ant

They need atleast 57 workers, one for each variety
He-He!!

Sorry, you can't repeat a karma action without waiting 24 hours.

I associate "Wigan" with "The Road to Wigan Pier."  George Orwell didn't tell us there was a river of ketchup!
;D :-\\

Must be the new alternate to the red sea. ^

I've always been more on the anti-union side(I've dealt with a Union that's a very bad example before), but I can understand some places needing them too.

The Left tends to romanticize labor unions.  I don't.  I just think they are absolutely necessary.  They are subject to corruption and abuse of power.  However, in their absence, the managerial and capitalist classes take corruption and abuse of power and make it all legal!

::)

United food Commercial Workers is the one that I had to deal with. They lied to me one time and said my signature wasn't a vote, funny because I don't remember a ballot happening to see if we were going to vote them in or not.

United food Commercial Workers is the one that I had to deal with. They lied to me one time and said my signature wasn't a vote, funny because I don't remember a ballot happening to see if we were going to vote them in or not.


Of course they lied to you.  You see, their game is about their (union management) power anyway.

Unions want to deny workers the courtesy of a secret ballot for union certification or decertification.  Unions want to have the "card check"... whene a union goon intimidates you at your workplace to sign (essentially vote) for the union.

Most Democratic Party politicians promote this goon-based union certification too.  However I would be remiss if I did not note that Arlen "One Bullet" Spectre indeed opposes card-check.

Some companies whose management is weak minded have actually conceded to allowing the card-check method.  In these cases, neither the union nor management gives a damn about the workers.

This year they tried to get into Marsh, which is where I work at. They came to my house at one point. Once they said who they were and said they wanted to talk to me, all they got was a flat out "No" and the door shut and locked on them(That's what they get for using dirty tactics when I worked at Cub Foods, I'm not the type to forgive and forget that). One of co-workers had to call the cops on them, because when she tried to shut the door, they tried to stop her from it.

Now I do admit that I think corporate at Marsh is abit crooked themselves, but I don't need a second party of crooks to deal with and the UFCW is one of the worst unions around(At least in Indiana and a few other states).

In this case at Marsh, there was going to be a secret ballot and the Union also filed something against Marsh at the labor board. But when the day came to vote, the Union backed out and drop their case against Marsh, they knew they were going to lose.

There were a small amount of co-workers taken in by their talk and promises too. They tried talking to me to get me to support the union, but I told them that I was lied to(although they didn't seem convinced that I was).

Funny thing, my store was the only one the Union targetted, as way to get their foot into the door of the company. I pretty sure that's what happened at Cub Foods too. Made me feel like a doom magnet for awhile.

Of course they lied to you.  You see, their game is about their (union management) power anyway.

Unions want to deny workers the courtesy of a secret ballot for union certification or decertification.  Unions want to have the "card check"... whene a union goon intimidates you at your workplace to sign (essentially vote) for the union.

Most Democratic Party politicians promote this goon-based union certification too.  However I would be remiss if I did not note that Arlen "One Bullet" Spectre indeed opposes card-check.

Some companies whose management is weak minded have actually conceded to allowing the card-check method.  In these cases, neither the union nor management gives a damn about the workers.


How many Teamsters does it take to change a light bulb?
Fourteen.  You gotta problem with that?

As venal as labor unions can be, I still say workers are much better off with a strong unionized sector, as we had in the mid-20th century, than only 7% of the private sector workforce unionized, such as today.  

Of course, the worst union I ever saw was Stop & Shop supermarkets.  They start people at minimum wage at-will contracts (that is, "If we could pay you less we would and we can fire your ass whenever we want) AND the workers have to pay union dues right away.  Not much good if you're making minimum wage and the union can't protect you from arbitrary management decisions!
::)

Sounds like Stop and shop supermarket is around the United Food Commercial Workers level. One of my co-worker's brothers worked at Kroger and couldn't get their support on getting back to work. There was also a point where no one at Kroger got a raise for years, this while the UFCW is their union.

You're kind of like my grandfather, who has had a pro-union viewpoint. Although he was working at a time where getting decent wages to deal with cost of living increases(50s, 60s) was practically impossible, so he had a really good reason for getting involved with the Steel Workers Union(he worked at an anodizing plant).

Now part of my anti-union sentiment comes from being deceived by the UFCW while at Cubs(which is justified with me), the other part came from the fact that I had to join and pay dues while at Kroger(which I feel is unfair, what if I don't want to part of the union?). If there was a law here in Indiana that would allow me to work at a place without having to join the union if they had one, I would have a less harsh viewpoint.