Around 150 AB AGRI mill workers are to strike over pay in April in a move that, according to the Unite union, could hit supplies of pig and poultry feed.
The animal feed and nutrition company includes a number of divisions supplying feed for different UK farming sectors, including, partly through ABN, a big presence in the pig and poultry sector.
According to Unite, strike action at mills across the country strike action will take place from April 1 to 7, with ‘work to rule’ in affect from April 8 to 14 April, before ‘all out indefinite strike action’ begins on April 15.
The workers at based at mills in Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk, Walsingham in Norfolk, Flixborough in Lincolnshire, Sherburn in North Yorkshire, Cupar in Fife, Enstone in Oxfordshire, Cullompton in Devon and Fridaythrope in East Yorkshire.
They rejected an imposed pay offer of 4.5%, which the union said, with inflation, RPI running at 13.4%, represents a significant real terms pay cut. It pointed that AB AGRI’s latest financial report shows it had a turnover of £955 million for the year ending August 31, 2021.
Unite said the strike action will cause ‘significant disruption’ to the operations of AB AGRI mills, which produce a large proportion of the UK’s pig and poultry feed. The dispute is also over AB AGRI’s failure to recognise the mill workers as a national bargaining unit represented by Unite.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “AB AGRI and (parent company) ABF can well afford to pay these workers a fair pay rise. Instead, they have forced through a substantial real terms pay cut.”
Unite regional officer Mark Jaina said: “AB AGRI’s attempts to union bust won’t work and contravene its membership of the Ethical Trading Initiative.”
AB AGRI has been contacted for comment.