Key takeaways:
- Workers at KP’s Billingham plant have voted to strike for the second time this year in a dispute over pay and added duties.
- The group involved is small, but the site produces major brands like Hula Hoops, McCoy’s and Pom-Bear, making pre-Christmas disruption a real concern.
- KP says it’s disappointed by the ballot and is preparing contingency plans while the union decides when to set strike dates.
KP is back in a familiar spot and not in a good way.
For the second time this year, workers at its Billingham factory have voted to strike. The dispute hasn’t really gone away since the summer, but the timing’s different now, with the holiday season starting to bite and retailers already lining up stock for the last big sales run of the year.
The latest ballot again centers on pay and the long-running complaint from staff that their jobs have slowly been loaded with extra tasks.
The group involved isn’t huge. A few dozen process operatives took part in the vote, according to GMB, the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union. But Billingham’s a big site with several hundred people overall and it’s one of the places where KP turns out Hula Hoops, McCoy’s, Pom-Bear and Discos. In December, those brands don’t exactly sit around waiting. They tend to move as fast as the company can ship them.
Paul Clark, who represents the workers for GMB, said the same issues have been bubbling for months. Staff say they’re taking on extra responsibilities and the pay packet hasn’t changed. According to Clark, workers are being asked to do more “for the same pay” and “if they’ve been asked to do extra work, they should get more pay”. He says the union wants talks restarted soon or Christmas stock could feel the impact.
No strike dates have been set as yet. The union needs another meeting with members to decide when and how, and that’s expected fairly soon. In the meantime, KP has paused holiday requests at the plant: GMB has publicly said it’s checking whether the move is allowable. KP hasn’t given much detail on that, only that it’s reviewing the operational picture.
A narrow margin for disruption
It’s not surprising this story has picked up interest. KP’s been around in one form or another since the 1800s and is now one of the biggest snack manufacturers in the UK. Its brands – including Hula Hoops, Popchips and Tyrrells – cover a lot of shelf space and its seven UK factories feed into national supply lines that don’t have much spare room in December.
Recent filings put revenue somewhere in the mid-£600 million range. Billingham is one of the bigger producers in that network. And once the Christmas window closes, it’s basically impossible to make up for any lost volume. That’s why even a small stoppage can cause more disruption than you might expect.
The company has had its fair share of pressure in recent years. A cyberattack two years ago caused delays and stoppages and there were separate workforce issues at a different site last winter that also raised questions about supply. So another dispute now, at the same place involved earlier this year, is far from ideal timing.
KP said it was disappointed with the result of the ballot and pointed out that the group involved represents only a small share of the Billingham workforce. The company says it’s open to further discussions with GMB and that contingency plans are in place to keep supply moving.
