Striking Berry Global staff in Norwich secure new pay offer

Staff at the Berry Global factory in Sprowston - which operates as Massmould Ltd in the UK - announced several days of strike action after a pay increase offer of 3.5pc on May 17.

It was described as a "real terms pay cut dressed up as an increase" by the Unite union when inflation stood at 6.1pc in October last year - the month the increase was due.

The strike action has been postponed at the Norwich factory (Image: Google)

Strikes last week helped to stall operations at the factory, which produces caps and lids for cleaning, personal hygiene, medicinal and food and drink products, as production lines could not run as usual.

At the time, Unite regional officer Mark Walker said: "Berry will have to explain to its clients that their packaging supply lines will be disrupted because it is refusing to pay its workers properly out of greed.

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"The strike action will exacerbate existing operational delays, which are a result of skilled staff shortages as a result of Berry’s deplorable rates of pay.

"There is still time to avoid industrial action, but the company must put forward an offer that is acceptable to our members."

A new pay offer is now on the table (Image: Unite)

However, strikes by workers employed by Berry Norwich have been postponed after an improved pay offer was put forward.

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The workers took strike action between May 19 and 21 and took to the picket line with signs saying "fair pay now" when they gathered outside the Salhouse Road site.

The industrial action planned for May 28 to 30 and June 1 and 2 has been paused to allow the more than 100 workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, to be balloted on the new offer.  

Berry Norwich did not comment on the action.