Booker drivers suspend strike after positive pay talks

Strike action among HGV drivers at Tesco-owned wholesaler Booker Retail Partners has been suspended after a new pay deal was put on the table.

The Unite union said industrial action due to commence on Monday (4 October) will not go ahead and its members will now vote on the proposals, with it recommending the new offer is accepted.

The long-running dispute involving all 40 drivers at Booker’s Thamesmead depot centres on what they claimed was a failure of the Tesco subsidiary to include them in a temporary £5 an hour pay uplift which the company has granted to drivers at its Hemel Hempstead site.

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Unite had warned that any strike action could have disrupted supplies to convenience stores in London and the south east.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Progress in this dispute is welcomed, but I urge Booker to understand that Unite remains dedicated to advancing the jobs, pay and conditions of all its HGV driver members across the UK and we will fight back against any efforts to diminish workers’ living standards.”

A result on the ballot is due to be announced on 11 October.

Booker did not respond as we went to press.