Sainsbury's delivery drivers strike off

The six days of strike action by 12 outsourced drivers in the pay injustice dispute that could have hit deliveries to about 100 Sainsbury’s stores in London and the south east have been suspended, Unite said today (Friday, December 11)

Unite said that as an result of an initial pay deal of 2.1 per cent for 2020 for the drivers employed by Harper & Guy Consulting Ltd, the strike action, due to have started on Monday (December 14), has been suspended.

This is to allow for further talks on the key issue of pay disparity of thousands of pounds compared with those drivers directly employed by Sainsbury’s at the retail giant’s Waltham Abbey distribution centre.

Unite regional officer Paul Travers said, “We are making progress with the employer and our 12 members have accepted a 2.1 per cent uplift in their pay for 2020, which is the same as the directly employed Sainsbury’s drivers received.

“As a result, we have suspended the six days of strike action due to have started on Monday as a gesture of goodwill so that negotiations on the issue of pay disparity can continue,” he added.

“I can confirm that our members working on the Harper & Guy Consulting contract are working normally and the threat of disruption to about 100 Sainsbury’s stores in London and the south east in the run-up to Christmas has been lifted.”

By Shaun Noble