Staff across the food wholesale company, which supplies a number of hospitality firms including Stonegate pubs, are asking for decent pay to meet the cost-of-living crisis, according to the union.
GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: "Bidfood refuses to acknowledge the loyal workforce deserves a cost of living pay increase during the worse cost of living crisis in a generation.
Should do better
“Any strike as a result of this approach to industrial relations will lead to food shortages across some of the high street’s biggest names.
"Bidfood is multi-million-pound profit making company with lucrative Government contracts - it can and should do better."
However, Bidfood UK chief operating officer, Mark Wood, refuted the claims negotiations had “broken down”, stating the business has continued “constructive dialogue” through ACAS, as per its national agreement.
Wood said: “Following the rejection of a pay offer in July to employees represented by GMB, Bidfood has since sought feedback from both our employees and the trade unions and put forward further proposals in response to that feedback.
Stable and secure
“The offer we’ve put forward is a strong deal for this year’s review, particularly off the back of the pay deal agreed in 2022, which combined is a significant double-digit increase and positions us as a leading employer paying highly favourable salaries within our industry, especially in the face of prevailing market conditions.”
In addition, the chief operating officer assured the “majority” of Bidfood’s “operational workforce” are not GMB Union members and that any future strike action would “in no way jeopardise Bidfood’s ability to deliver service excellence to customers”.
He continued: “Bidfood prides itself on being a stable and secure business that invests heavily in its people and infrastructure.
“We have been listening to feedback and reinvesting into the business to ensure we can continue to be a highly attractive employer for both existing and new employees.”
