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Morrisons stike ballot
Page 8
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THE T&G/GMB strike ballot of 8,000 Morrisons distribution workers will end on 14 September. OMB national officer Jude Brimble says: "It is going on a little longer than intended. Morrisons is proving to be a rather difficult and precarious employer."
This follows the merger of Safeway operations into Morrisons, which the unions say has caused -no end of problems" for members. The ballot was launched after the supermarket giant failed to respond to the union's demands for national bargaining.
Brimble says the predominant issue is not about pay but job security following the merger.
The GMB has also accused Morrisons management of secret plans to shut the distribution depots at Alyesforcl in Kent and Warrington in Cheshire and to move the work to other depots like Kettering and Swan Valley in the Midlands. The union cites reports to GMB members in these depots from middle management, who will also be made redundant if these plans are true.
Brimble says: "We call on Morrisons either to deny that these secret plans exist or else come clean and tell our 2,000 members who work for them now what they have planned.
A Morrisons' spokesman says: "We have made no secret of the fact that a thorough review of the distribution network is currently underway and we hope to share the results of this review in the near future."