Snacks at Drax

Canteen workers at the Drax power station in Selby in North Yorkshire, employed by hospitality provider BaxterStorey celebrated a 19% pay rise last month, in the shape of an additional £1 per hour site bonus, on top of the Real Living Wage of £12. If followed strike action that began in December and included a protest outside Drax’s Annual General Meeting in April.

Speaking to York Press, Unite rep Diane Power said: “Most of us at the canteen had never really considered getting organised in a union before. But the last couple of years have been difficult for all of us because o f the cost-of-living crisis. “Everyone is really pleased with the pay deal and it’s such a great feeling knowing we stood up together and supported each other to achieve it.”

Meanwhile, negotiations over recognition for Unite by BaxterStrorey were said to be “ongoing”. The canteen workers’ success followed a settlement in March that saw the company’s industrial workforce turn an 8% pay offer into a nine-month deal with back-pay valued at 16% for the lowest paid workers, also achieved after strike action. The non-manual workforce secured a 5% increase from 1 April.