AB Agri feed mill workers balloted for strike action
Unite's Sharon Graham © PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo Strike action could lead to significant disruption at a number of mills if a pay dispute with workers at animal feed manufacturer ABN, part of AB Agri, is not resolved.
About 150 workers are being balloted for strike action which could affect sites in Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Fife, Devon, and East and North Yorkshire.
The dispute has arisen after workers rejected a 4.5% pay offer.
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This represents a significant real terms pay cut, according to trade union Unite, which compared it with the 13.4% increase in the retail price index over the 12 months to January 2023.
AB Agri made an operating profit of £388,000 for the year ending 31 August 2022 and is owned by Associated British Foods (ABF), which has about 132,000 employees worldwide.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said AB Agri and ABF were extremely wealthy companies but expected union members to shoulder a real-terms pay cut during the worst cost-of-living crisis for a generation.
An ABN spokesperson said: “We are committed to being an employer of choice that aims to attract and retain our employees by offering competitive packages.
“We are already in discussion with our employees regarding this issue and would like to reiterate our invitation to Unite to enter into a dialogue with us.”