School catering strike looms
Catering staff in East Yorkshire are planning a one-day strike on 13 December if a meeting on Tuesday with arbitration service ACAS fails to resolve a long-running dispute with employer Martin's Contract Catering.
Chris Jenkinson, regional officer at health union Unison and spokesman for the other unions involved (TGWU and GMB) said the proposed strike would be followed by other actions of non-cooperation for extra duties not reflected in the workers' job descriptions.
These could include refusing to serve breakfasts in several schools and refusing to stock and maintain confectionery vending machines.
The company had originally refused to pay a nationally agreed 3% pay rise to some 420 staff, saying the contract was not making money, and cut hours by up to 20%. It has now agreed to pay the rise, backdated, to just 40% of staff covered by TUPE laws and is still proposing cuts in hours.
Jenkinson said the unions had written to head teachers warning them of the dispute and apologising for any inconvenience. He said there was a "strong groundswell of public support" for the workers.
