Coca-Cola shortage warning for UK as drinks factory staff threaten strike action over pay

Hundreds of workers at a soft drinks factory are set to vote on strike action in a dispute over pay.

Unite members at a Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) plant in Wakefield are being balloted after the union said staff were offered an average pay rise of 6%, which it slammed as being well below inflation.

If workers do vote to strike it puts supplies of Coca Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Dr Pepper and Monster, among others, at risk, meaning customers could face shortages this summer. CCEP Wakefield can produce 360,000 cans per hour and 132,000 bottles per hour.

Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson said: “A strike will inevitably put supplies of Britain’s favourite soft drinks, including Coca-Cola, at risk this summer. But Industrial action can be avoided at Europe’s biggest soft drinks plant if bosses agree to pay workers a fair wage from the company’s mammoth profits. They ought to do that now.”

The union says that the pay offer was made as CCEP saw profits rise by 37%, generating revenues over £15 billion combined with an operating profit of £1.85 billion.

The CCEP wage deal across different grades amounts to an average 6% increase, which Unite says has gone ‘flat’ with workers when inflation (RPI) is still booming at 13.5%.

Unite is calling on bosses to pay workers a fair wage that matches inflation, as the current offer “does nothing to address the cost of living crisis”.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is making profits in the billions so it can easily afford to give its workers a proper pay rise.

“Its profits are up 37% to an eye-watering £1.85 billion but bosses refuse to pay workers a decent wage increase which keeps up with rising prices. The workers at Wakefield have Unite’s total support.”

A spokesperson for CCEP said it remains “fully committed to maintaining talks” with staff at the Wakefield site, which it believes will lead to a “construction outcome - unlike industrial action”.

They added: “In the current economic climate, we believe the pay rises that we are offering are very competitive within the marketplace. We also provide substantial additional benefits and bonuses to our colleagues, altogether this is an average total package of £46,900 for a colleague at Wakefield. We have also made a £1,000 payment to all frontline colleagues in the past 12 months to support the current cost-of-living challenges.

“We have a strong track record of supporting colleagues at our Wakefield site, allowing them to build their skills and develop their careers in a hi-tech, modern manufacturing operation, where we have invested more than £100 million in the past five years alone.

“Whilst we hope that a resolution can be found, we are preparing robust contingency measures and are confident that there will be no disruption to our trade customers.”