Strikes are called off at Britain’s largest sandwich maker which supplies stores including Tesco and Marks & Spencer after firm makes new offer to workers
- Read more: More than 500 staff at UK’s biggest sandwich maker vow to strike
Supermarket meal deals got a last-minute reprieve last night, as strikes were called off at Britain’s biggest sandwich maker.
Hundreds of workers at Greencore, which supplies all the retailers including Tesco, Boots, Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer, were due to walk out over pay this week.
It meant hundreds of thousands of ‘to-go’ food products, including sandwiches, sushi, salads, wraps and quiches, would go missing from shop shelves.
However, a ‘last-chance saloon’ offer from Greencore last night encouraged the Unite union to suspend the industrial action.
Some Greencore factory workers currently make £10.53 an hour, only slightly more than the £10.42 national minimum wage.
The sandwich-maker supplies shops up and down the country, including Boots and M&S, as well as petrol stations and convenience stores (Stock Photo)
Unite regional officer Andy Shaw said: ‘Greencore has finally come back to the negotiating table after the threat of strike action by our members.
READ MORE: Now Boots and M&S lunchtime meal deals are under threat
‘As a goodwill gesture, we have called off industrial action while we put this new offer to our members.’
The union said its members perform various vital roles, such as making and packing sandwiches and monitoring their quality.
Greencore’s latest accounts show it banked profits of more than £15million last year.
Greencore made 975million sandwiches and other food-to-go products last year at its 16 factories.
The firm said 52 per cent of its sandwiches are sold as part of a meal deal.
Its products can also be found in coffee shop chains such as Starbucks and Cafe Nero, and petrol station convenience stores.
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