21 August 2023
Cepac makes cardboard packaging for the food and drink sector. Photo Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Workers at the Doncaster site of packaging company Cepac began 4 weeks of strike action on 14 August. The employer is offering the workers – printers, engineers, and conversion operators – an 8 per cent pay increase – with strings.
The offer is not really an increase at all. It is tied to an 8 per cent increase in working hours (from 37 to 40 per week) And it will mean an inferior sick pay scheme, reduced overtime rates and changes to shift patterns!
No improvement
The workers, members of Unite, voted for industrial action back in June and were set to take 10 days action in July. But they delayed the start of the strike to allow renewed negotiations to take place.
The employer has not improved their pay offer. Instead, they have threatened to impose it on the workforce. Since the start of the dispute union membership at the site has grown from 80 to over 90.
Hard stance
The company has maintained a hard stance in response to the strike decision, saying that it will affect future pay rises. Cepac is profitable: its latest accounts lodged at Companies House show that the company made a profit of £34 million.
Cepac produces corrugated cardboard packing for the food and drink sector. Customers include the main supermarkets and café chains, who are likely to be hard-hit given the prevalence of just in time supply chains.