Staff at an Oscar Mayer ready-meals factory in the UK are planning to start strike action next week amid a row over changes to contracts.
Workers at the facility in the Welsh city of Wrexham have lined up a series of walkouts to take place over a month beginning on Thursday (12 September).
The Unite trade union said Oscar Mayer has threatened to “fire and rehire workers on new contracts” if they do not accept the changes. Unite claims the changes will leave staff £2,000 ($2,626) a year worse off.
Oscar Mayer, which supplies major UK retailers with ready meals, has not responded directly to the “fire and rehire claim” but did outline how it has been looking to alter some pay and working conditions.
Strikes are set to take place from 12 September to 10 October. Unite said more than 550 Oscar Mayer workers voted “by 98%” in favour of strike action through a ballot with a 76% turnout.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said: “Oscar Mayer’s behaviour towards these already low-paid workers is despicable. There is no justification whatsoever to slash their pay or for the threats of fire and rehire – an abhorrent practice that should be banned outright. Our members are absolutely right to strike and they have Unite’s unflinching support.”
A spokesperson for Oscar Mayer said the changes put forward were necessary.
“In May 2024, we put a number of proposals to our colleagues in our Wrexham factory around changing some paid breaks to unpaid for weekly paid colleagues, and the removal of enhanced rates on bank holidays and the provision of time off in lieu for all colleagues,” the spokesperson said.
“These proposals are not made lightly but we believe are necessary to protect the long-term sustainability of our business and the jobs we provide in the local community. These changes would put us in line with most other businesses in our sector and similar businesses in the local area.”
The spokesperson said the “proposals have been subject to a full and proper consultation process with our colleagues, which is ongoing”.
They added: “We have engaged fully with Unite during this process. The fact that we have agreed to a number of alternative proposals put forward by colleagues underscores the fact that there has been effective dialogue throughout and that consultation has been constructive. We remain committed to an ongoing dialogue as we work to reach agreement with our colleagues.”
By contrast, Unite said it has “repeatedly approached” Oscar Mayer to find a resolution to the dispute and claimed the manufacturer “has refused to engage in good faith negotiations and is now refusing to communicate with the union at all”.
Unite regional officer Jono Davies added: “Strike action is the last resort and Unite’s door continues to remain open for talks with Oscar Mayer. Burying your head in the sand is not the solution to resolving this dispute.”
Should the strike action go ahead, Oscar Mayer claims it has “robust contingency plans in place and does not envisage any disruption to customer supply”.
