Unite claims a strike by Hovis drivers planned for this week in south-west England will lead to bread "shortages" in affected areas of the UK.
The industrial action is scheduled for this Thursday 24 September at the Hovis plant in Avonmouth, Bristol, with the union warning deliveries of bread, buns and muffins will be impacted as far afield as the West Midlands.
Hovis Bakeries, a new unit recently formed by the parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) following this year's acquisition of the business, disputes Unite's suggestion that the strike will cause shortages.
"Plans are in place to minimise any impact on our retail customers and we don't anticipate there being any significant or lasting shortages as a result of the action," a spokesperson for Hovis Bakeries informed Just Food.
The union said around 60 Hovis Bakeries' distribution drivers from Avonmouth will take part in the walk-out, which could go on "indefinitely" if a pay agreement is not reached, claiming "thousands of loaves of bread are made at the site each hour".
Hovis Bakeries, which emerged from the amalgamation of the ABF business Allied Bakeries, has offered a 3% pay increase to the drivers but Unite ...