Retailer Argos has said it managed to operate a normal service for customers despite a strike by warehouse staff at five of its distribution centres on Friday.

The 24-hour strike was organised by union Unite in protest over proposed changes to terms and conditions arising from the retailer’s ongoing five-year supply chain transformation plan. The plan involves a new 24/7 shift pattern at its distribution centres that will “severely disrupt” staff’s personal and family lives, the union has stated.

Before the strike, which involved Argos’s Basildon, Bridgwater, Castleford, Heywood and Magna Park sites, the union said it would involve over 1,000 staff and result in “substantial” disruption to customer deliveries.

A spokeswoman for Argos, however, told Motortransport.co.uk this week only “a handful” of individuals protested outside each of the distribution centres and that the retailer had maintained “a normal service” for its customers.

Argos remains in contact with the union and is “working hard to understand and address any outstanding queries or issues,” she added.

Unite has not commented yet on the outcome of the strike or indicated whether further action is likely.

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