A strike of meat hygiene workers over pay and conditions in the UK has been averted after employers agreed to a 2.99% pay rise, to be backdated to August 2007.
According to a spokesperson for Unison, the union representing the meat hygiene workers, a strike would have held up production at the majority of UK slaughterhouses and could potentially have hit Christmas supplies of meat and poultry.
The spokesperson told just-food that further talks with the Meat Hygiene Service on working conditions are to follow. However, the pay concession has staved off the threat of immediate strike action.
In a statement, Simon Watson, Unison’s national officer for meat inspectors, said: “We still have some tough talking to do over the ‘work anytime’ proposals and members have a right to expect movement on their 2008 pay deal.”

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData