The continuing industrial action affects a Marks & Spencer third-party logistics contract, operated by DHL at Long Eaton in Derbyshire. Usdaw members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute about the amount of redundancy pay that long serving staff will receive when the site closes at the end of July.
 
Ed Leach – Usdaw Area Organiser says: “We remain shocked and disappointed that the company has still not formally responded to the decisive strike ballot result, with over 90% of Usdaw members voting in favour of industrial action, or today’s first 24-hour stoppage. We again call on management to get back round the negotiating table. Only they can stop this continuing industrial action.
 
“Long-serving DHL employees, who have given decades of loyal service, deserve to be treated fairly through a difficult redundancy process. It is extremely disappointing that we have been forced to the last resort of industrial action by DHL’s refusal to agree that staff employed prior to July 2003 are entitled to significantly enhanced redundancy pay.
 
“Today’s action has been well supported, our members remain determined to get justice and we appeal to the company to engage with us to achieve a resolution to this dispute.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 400,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion