Threat of industry action at Argos NDC could disrupt Christmas deliveries
The Unite union has announced that drivers working for Wincanton based at Argos’ flagship national distribution centre (NDC) in Staffordshire are set to strike for three days from midnight on Tuesday 20 December. In a statement sent to Post&Parcel today (13 December), Union said that “the delivery of Christmas gifts from Argos, such as iPhones, could be seriously disrupted”.
The drivers voted by 83% to strike and by 95% for industrial action short of a strike over what Unite describes as “Wincanton’s failure to honour holiday back pay for at least the last two years”.
The Staffordshire site supplies the other seven Argos NDCs across the UK which, in turn, deliver to the Argos shops. Unite said that a strike would have a knock-on effect causing “havoc and mayhem” to deliveries in the crucial days running up to Christmas.
The dispute with Wincanton hinges on how holiday pay is calculated. The management has offered to backdate the holiday pay from April this year.
Unite regional officer Rick Coyle commented: “We can assure Argos customers that strike dates are only being announced as a last resort and that Unite’s door is open 24/7 to try and settle this long-standing dispute.”
In a separate dispute, Wincanton drivers working at the Argos centre in Basildon in Essex are voting on whether to take industrial action over a disciplinary system relating to ‘uncontrolled vehicle movements’. This ballot result is due on Friday (16 December).
