Wincanton drivers based at Argos’ Staffordshire distribution centre are set to to strike for three days during the run up to Christmas.
Unite the Union claims that the drivers are owed about £700 in back pay and has called them out for 72 hours from 20th December.
A Wincanton spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with Unite’s announcement given that at Unite’s request we already have a meeting scheduled tomorrow morning (Wednesday) with ACAS to resolve the issue.
“This follows Wincanton’s announcement to change its holiday pay calculations to include overtime for the first 20 days of annual leave entitlement taken in each holiday year. The change to holiday pay applies to all employees who receive overtime payments and therefore exceeds Wincanton’s obligations in line with recent holiday pay rulings and statutory guidance. We are committed to on-going dialogue with Unite the Union. No other Wincanton operations are affected.”
Argos has called on the two sides to keep talking with the aim of coming to a swift resolution. “We also have contingency plans in place and can reassure customers we’re working hard to ensure this will not impact our deliveries this Christmas.”
Unite says the dispute surrounds how holiday pay is calculated. It also said that Wincanton management has offered to backdate the holiday pay from April 2016. However the union wants this pay to cover at least the past two years.
