Matalan workers are ending their strike after accepting a new pay deal from the homeware retailer.
Over 500 workers at Matalan’s Merseyside distribution centre in Knowsley had been striking since August. GMB Union, which coordinated the strikes, said Matalan had made a pay offer which amounted to a real-terms pay cut.
The deal, approved by 87% of GMB members, will give workers both a mandatory minimum wage uplift and an additional increase on top.
Neil Holden, GMB Senior Organiser, said: “This has been an incredibly stressful time for our members. They’ve been on strike for weeks, worrying about how they will feed their families and pay their rent.
“They sacrificed their wages – which were only just above the minimum wage – to do what’s right for them and their colleagues.
“But because they’ve stuck together, and shown solidarity, they can rightly hold their heads high today.
“Now they can get back to work and, along with Matalan, put this behind them.”
A spokesperson for Matalan commented: “We are delighted that our employees in our Knowsley distribution centre have voted conclusively to accept the largest core pay offer our company has ever offered, and which is amongst the highest in the sector; we are proud to be a major employer in the North West and always look to ensure Matalan is a great place to work.”
GMB Union is also currently in a dispute with supermarket Asda after it threatened to sack staff that did not agree to a new contract. According to GMB, staff who sign may lose all their paid breaks and be forced to work bank holidays.
Delivery during peak period this year may be impacted by a Royal Mail strike after workers in a major union voted overwhelmingly for industrial action. Royal Mail workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voted by 97.1% to strike while workers of subsidiary Parcelforce also supported the strike in two separate votes with support of around 95%.
Updated 24/10 with comment from Matalan.
