Employees at Amcor Flexibles’ Cramlington site in the UK are set to strike three days a week in a dispute over pay.
Staff at the Northumberland plant, which employs approximately 50 people, had already walked out on 18 May and on consecutive Mondays thereafter.
However, from 8 June, they will ramp up industrial action to three days a week – Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays – until 7 April 2027, according to trade union Unite, which represents staff at the factory.
Workers have already turned down a 4.1 per cent pay rise, which they believe did not go ‘far enough to address years of low pay or the impact of the cost-of-living crisis’, Unite said.
The plant makes packaging for several major pharmaceutical companies in the UK and worldwide, including GSK, AstraZeneca and AbbVie.
‘Prioritising its own greed’
“Amcor is a very wealthy company and can fully afford to give our members a better pay offer, but instead it is prioritising its own greed,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham. “Its workers deserve better, and Unite will continue to back them in their fight for fair pay.”
Amcor Flexibles – a wholly owned subsidiary of Amcor – has a turnover of £98 million ($131.7m), according to Unite.
The union’s regional officer Craig Patterson said: “Our members at Amcor have been left with no choice but to escalate strike action, to make their voices heard.
“Amcor could end this action, which risks product delays and also will harm relationships with its clients, but that relies on the company changing tack and returning to negotiations with an improved pay offer.”
‘Limited’ industrial action
A spokesperson for Amcor confirmed that “limited” industrial action had taken place at the company’s Cramlington site.
“The safety, security and wellbeing of our colleagues remain our top priority,” said the Amcor spokesperson. “We respect freedom of expression and the right to peaceful, non-violent demonstration, and we continue to welcome constructive dialogue with trade union representatives.
“Operations have continued as normal, and the situation is being managed locally in line with standard processes. We remain committed to working towards a positive resolution.”
