Booker faces renewed strike threat from delivery drivers

The drivers’ union, Unite, has accused Booker of  “bad faith” for allegedly reneging on an agreement that the drivers’ pay would be reviewed in February 2022, after they voted to accept a 3.3% pay increase in October.

That pay rise has been received, but the further review has been scrapped, says the union.

Unite says that the 45-strong workforce will strike from midnight on Thursday 23 December 2021 until midnight on Christmas Eve (24 December) which will hit deliveries to stores including Budgens, Londis, Premier, One Stop and many petrol stations.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is an act of bad faith by the Booker bosses.

“They promised a further review of pay rates to take place in February.

“They have now broken that agreement and thus have provoked the Christmas strike action.”

Unite regional officer Paul Travers said: “When we agreed to suspend strike action in October, it was on the understanding that a review of drivers’ pay and employment conditions would take place in February and that Unite would be fully involved.

“However, the company has now scrapped the review and will uplift the drivers’ money by £2 per hour which is completely unacceptable.

“This is a unilateral decision and, as a result, our members are angry that the money being proposed falls well short of what they deserve, now that the current RPI rate of inflation is 6%.”

A Booker spokesperson said: “We continue to engage with Unite in relation to our Thamesmead site and remain happy to meet with them in February.

“We have contingency plans in place to ensure customers can get the products they need while minimising any disruption for them.”