Baked goods manufacturer Allied Bakeries, along with The Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union have reached an agreement, which will prevent strike action this week.
Union delegates had voted for strike action as a reaction to alterations regarding holiday pay and shift patterns at Allied Bakeries in Cardiff, South Wales.
According to the union, 56 of 70 employees chose to take strike action at a recent ballot. The industrial action was scheduled to occur between 6am on March 23 and 6am on March 24, the firm’s busiest time for the production of hot cross buns in time for Easter.
John James of the Kingsmill office in Maidenhead told members of the press that the parties had “come to a compromise”.
He continued: “Strike action does not sort out the issue and causes conflict, putting jobs at risk. It is not in the interest of the union to take action.”
General manager of Allied Bakeries in Wales, Mike Auden, said: “Following constructive discussions with unions, we are pleased to confirm that an agreement has been reached and it will be business as usual at our Cardiff bakery.”
This latest challenge comes after several struggles already in 2016. In January, supermarket Sainsbury’s recalled the firm’s sliced wholemeal bread product, after reports that it contained metal pieces.
Also in January, it admitted it was suffering from price challenges, despite reporting a boost in sales volumes.
Last May, the Kingsmill brand was dropped by Tesco, only to be relisted seven months later. Then in June last year Allied Bakeries announced 23 redundancies in Maidenhead and Liverpool as part of a restructuring strategy.
