Hundreds of workers at a soft drinks factory are to vote on industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Members of Unite at a Coca Cola Europacific Partners plant in Wakefield are being balloted after the union said they were offered an average pay rise of 6%, which it described as well below inflation.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Coca Cola Europacific Partners is making profits in the billions so it can easily afford to give its workers a proper pay rise.
“Its profits are up 37% to an eye-watering £1.85 billion but bosses refuse to pay workers a decent wage increase which keeps up with rising prices.
“The workers at Wakefield have Unite’s total support.”
Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson said: “A strike will inevitably put supplies of Britain’s favourite soft drinks, including Coca-Cola, at risk this summer.”
The factory supplies drinks including Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners said: “We remain fully committed to maintaining talks with our colleagues at our Wakefield site and their representatives, and we firmly believe this offers the prospect of a constructive outcome – unlike industrial action.
“In the current economic climate, we believe the pay rises that we are offering are very competitive within the marketplace. We also provide substantial additional benefits and bonuses to our colleagues, altogether this is an average total package of £46,900 for a colleague at Wakefield. We have also made a £1,000 payment to all frontline colleagues in the past 12 months to support the current cost-of-living challenges.
“We have a strong track record of supporting colleagues at our Wakefield site, allowing them to build their skills and develop their careers in a hi-tech, modern manufacturing operation, where we have invested more than £100 million in the past five years alone.
“Whilst we hope that a resolution can be found, we are preparing robust contingency measures and are confident that there will be no disruption to our trade customers.”
