Nestlé faces UK strike ballot

The first ever national ballot for industrial action at the food giant Nestlé is to be held. Union leaders decided to hold a ballot among thousands of Nestlé employees at sites across Britain in protest at the imposition of a national strategy of "pay restraint".

Officials also accused Nestlé of refusing to enter into national negotiations, claiming the Swiss-owned company wanted to move towards performance-related pay. Union members at sites including York, Glasgow, Castleford and Halifax will vote in the next few weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action.

Jennie Formby, national officer of Unite, said: "Nestlé, a hugely successful and profitable company, has consistently refused to respect the agreed negotiating process. Instead [it is] imposing a policy of national pay restraint and pressing on with a move to non-consolidated performance-related bonuses."

Unions said Nestlé had offered a 1 per cent pay increase coupled with a 1.5 per cent bonus.