Warehouse workers at Barbour’s Gateshead site have begun four weeks of strike action in a dispute over new contracts proposed by the clothing firm, which will see the removal of unsocial hours payments and the requirement to work until 11pm.
The Unite union had hoped there would be fresh negotiations to avoid industrial action but no new talks have been arranged. There will be a march and rally in South Shields on 9 January .
For more details on the background to the dispute, see “Barbour staff strike over imposed hours change”, 18 December 2014.