Hovis Belfast: Unite members vote to accept pay offer and end dispute

Image source, PA

Members of the trade union Unite have voted to end an industrial dispute at the Hovis Belfast plant and accept a two-year pay deal.

Strike action planned by workers at the plant was suspended earlier this month.

It followed a "last minute" improved pay offer by management.

Unite said that over 2023 and 2024, the new offer would provide workers with a 13.5% pay increase. The union said that members had voted by a margin of three to one to accept the offer.

Hovis has previously said its Belfast operation produces 35% of all bread sold in Northern Ireland.

On Thursday, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that members had "secured a significant improvement to their pay through their collective action".

"Why should workers pay the price for the current economic crisis when it was definitely not of their making?"

If workers had voted to reject the new offer, continuous strike action was scheduled to start from Sunday morning.

Workers at the Apollo Road factory last walked out in 2021 in industrial action which lasted 11 days.

Some large retailers reported small supply issues at the time, but other suppliers stepped in to cover gaps in provision.

The strike was ended after staff accepted an 8% pay increase.