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Iceland set for second picket over closure
Page 7
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AS CM WENT to press, the Transport & General Workers Union (T&G) was set to begin round two of its industrial action against supermarket chain Iceland and picket the company's gates tomorrow (Friday).
This follows last week's "peaceful pickets" outside the company's distribution depot in Flint, North Wales, which a union spokesman says took place despite provocation by the supermarket.
They made it clear they were going to put out managers and security guards to match our picketers one for one," he savs."It takes something for even the police to say it was provocative."
The dispute is over Iceland's decision to close its Flint depot at the end of September and relocate to Warrington. Some 350 employees, including 120 drivers, will be affected by the move. Iceland's chief executive Malcolm Walker says its proposal of a £9.75 an hour basic wage for drivers and a one-off cash payment of £4,(X)0 per employee "in return for the removal of various restrictive practices", in order to reverse the site's ailing financial position, was rejected by the union, meaning the company had to relocate.
He describes the union's position as intransigent and says many staff want the move to Warrington.
"lbe'r&G's Andy Richards says: -lbe company wants to blame the union for its own failings."
christopher.tindall@rbi.co.uk