School strike may be resolved
Union officials are "quietly optimistic" that school catering staff in East Yorkshire may not have to stage a threatened one-day strike on 13 December after their employer, Martin's Contract Catering, made encouraging concessions at a meeting yesterday with arbitration service ACAS.
Pete Allen, regional industrial organiser for the TGWU, hailed as a "major breakthrough" the company's agreement to reverse the 10% cut in the hours of cooks and cooks' assistants. Martin's also agreed that future cuts in hours to reflect drops in the number of meals served should be temporary rather than permanent.
The big issue yet to be resolved in this long-running dispute is the payment of a 3% wage rise (back-dated to April) to the 60% of staff who are not covered by TUPE laws.
Union officials have arranged another meeting, on 8 December, to try and settle this point.
If progress is not made, the strike will go ahead, followed by other actions such as refusing to serve breakfasts or stock up vending machines.