Workers at Coca-Cola plant in Wakefield set to strike
They'll walkout over a two week period next month in a row over pay
Workers at the Coca-Cola plant in Wakefield- which supplies some of Britain's favourite soft drinks- are to go on strike.
The Unite union said hundreds of members voted to take industrial action in a row over pay, and will walkout over two weeks in June.
There would be 14 days of strike action, comprising three 48-hour strikes and two 96-hour strikes, spaced over a two-week period.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Coca Cola Europacific Partners is making profits in the billions but it's delivering a pay cut to the very workers who are making them."
A Coca Cola Europacific Partners spokesperson said: "In the current economic climate, we believe the pay rises that we are offering are very competitive within the market place.
"We also provide substantial additional benefits and bonuses to our colleagues, altogether this is an average total package of ÂŁ46,900 for a colleague at Wakefield.
"We have also made a ÂŁ1,000 payment to all frontline colleagues in the past 12 months to support the current cost-of-living challenges.
"Our competitive rewards package includes our share-save scheme and almost 80% of our Wakefield colleagues invest in that scheme and benefit from our ongoing success as a business."
The spokesperson continued: "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 ÂŁ100 million in the past five years alone.
"While Unite has chosen to proceed with industrial action, we remain fully committed to maintaining talks with our colleagues at our Wakefield site and their representatives to secure a constructive outcome.
"We have robust contingency measures in place and are confident that there will be no disruption to our trade customers."