Talks aimed at bringing an end to the Hovis bread strike have ended “without success”, it emerged tonight.
The news came as bakers shutting down ovens last week began to have an impact on Northern Ireland supermarket shelves.
Supplies of loaves appear to be dwindling at a number of major outlets. Workers are calling for a 10% raise which they say will bring them in-line with fellow staff in Britain. Hovis have described the wage demand as "clearly unsustainable ".
In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Regional Officer for Unite said: “As a result of the Unite and the Baker’s union strike at Hovis in Belfast, all baking activities at the company’s Apollo Road site halted last Thursday. Given that this site produces at least one-third of all the bread consumed in Northern Ireland and the difficulties associated with importing bread from Great Britain post- Brexit, the workers’ strike action is having a huge impact.
“Yesterday evening, management made contact with both unions to invite us to talks on ending the dispute. Unfortunately those talks, which occurred at a neutral venue this afternoon, have now ended without agreement. While management put forward an improved pay offer - it was one that totally failed to meet our members demand for pay parity, let alone recognised the evidence suggesting a rapid increase in inflation.
“Despite the failure of today’s talks, both unions invited Hovis management to continue to engage with ourselves through the offices of the Labour Relations Agency with an aim of resolving this dispute.
“Picket lines at the company’s Apollo Road site will remain in place until we get an offer that recognises the legitimate expectation of Hovis workers in Northern Ireland to equal pay with that received by employees at their sites in Great Britain. Hovis management must now move quickly to end this dispute, deliver pay parity and end the unnecessary inconvenience caused to consumers who are increasingly greeted with empty shelves when looking to buy a loaf of bread.”
