Workers at huge site 'set to go hungry' in row over 'poverty pay'
Caterers employed by the London-based Compass Group are threatening to walk out later this month and again in August over what the union Unite describes as "poverty pay".
Unite claims that canteen workers receive only slightly more than the minimum wage.
According to the union, Compass is the world's largest catering provider and made more than £1.2bn in operating profits in the six months to March 2025.
Canteen staff at Fawley refinery are set to strike over what their union describes as 'poverty pay' (Image: Stephen Bath)
Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: "The Compass Group is a hugely rich company that is refusing these workers a fair pay rise.
"Unite will not let this happen - the Fawley canteen workers have their union's full support in taking strike action for as long as is necessary."
READ MORE: ExxonMobil Fawley to burn blue flares in the New Forest
Two strikes on July 25-28 and August 1-4 will involve more than 20 staff at three facilities.
Rebecca Johns-Lawrence, the union's regional officer, said: "Esso will not be happy that workers at Fawley will be famished.
"There is still time to avoid industrial action but that will require the company putting forward an acceptable offer, which Fawley bosses should be pressuring Compass to do."
Canteen staff at Fawley refinery are set to strike over what their union describes as 'poverty pay' (Image: Stephen Bath)
The refinery occupies a 3,250-acre site and is the largest facility of its type in the UK.
It makes a wide range of everyday products using processes that provide employment for more than 2,500 staff and contractors.
A spokesperson for Eurest, which is part of Compass, said: "We are disappointed by the decision of our employees to ballot for industrial action.
"We have proposed a pay offer we believe is fair in light of the current economic backdrop. Our colleagues are all paid Real Living Wage or above and have access to a range of benefits. We remain open to resolving this issue swiftly.
'We have put in place alternative arrangements to ensure catering is still provided to the employees on site while industrial action is underway."
Esso is part of ExxonMobil, which said the proposed strikes were not in anyone's interest.
"We encourage employers and representatives to work together constructively to reach a resolution as quickly as possible. We have taken contingencies to ensure on-site personnel are not impacted."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Get your act together on immigration, Trump tells Europe as he lands in Scotland
Europe 'better get your act together' on immigration, US President Donald Trump said as he landed in Scotland. Mr Trump is in the country for a four-day visit to both of his golf clubs in Aberdeen and Ayrshire. Landing at around 8.30pm on Friday, the president was greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before speaking to reporters. Asked about illegal immigration – which successive UK governments have sought to curb – Mr Trump said: 'On immigration, you better get your act together. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together. 'As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country – nobody, (we) shut it down.' He added: 'You've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe.' Immigration, Mr Trump said, was 'killing Europe'. Some European leaders, he continued, 'have not let it happen' and are 'not getting the proper credit they should', though the president did not say who he was talking about. Mr Trump said: 'Many countries in Europe, some people, some leaders, have not let it happen, and they're not getting the proper credit they should.' The president also praised Sir Keir Starmer ahead of a meeting between the two at one of his courses in the coming days, describing him as a 'good man'. 'I like your Prime Minister, he's slightly more liberal than I am – as you probably heard – but he's a good man. He got a trade deal done,' he said. 'You know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years, he got it done – that's a good deal, it's a good deal for the UK.' The president's motorcade – which contained more than two dozen vehicles – passed a small group of protesters as he entered his Turnberry golf club. Mr Trump also suggested he would be meeting Sir Keir 'tomorrow evening', although it is understood the pair will not meet until Monday. As well as the Prime Minister, Scottish First Minister John Swinney will meet with the president, as will European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who confirmed on X she will come to Scotland on Sunday in a bid to hash out a trade deal between the US and Europe. Mr Trump told journalists there was a 'good 50/50 chance' of a deal being struck, adding that it would be the 'biggest deal of them all'. The president and Sir Keir are expected to discuss potential changes to the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Mr Swinney has pledged to 'essentially speak out for Scotland'. Speaking as he boarded Air Force One in the US, Mr Trump said he would be having dinner with the Prime Minister at Turnberry, before 'going to the oil capital of Europe, which is Aberdeen'. He said: 'We're going to have a good time. I think the Prime Minister and I get along very well.' Mr Trump added: 'We're going to be talking about the trade deal that we made and maybe even approve it.' He also told journalists he was 'looking forward' to meeting with the 'Scottish leader' Mr Swinney, describing him as a 'good man'. During his time in Scotland, the president is also likely to spark a number of protests, with concerns being raised about how such demonstrations are policed. Police Scotland has called in support from other forces in the UK to help bolster officer numbers, though senior officers and the organisation which represents the rank-and-file have accepted Mr Trump's visit will have an impact.
CBS News
5 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump mixes presidential and personal business on Scotland trip
Washington — President Trump is in Scotland for several days on a trip that will combine presidential and personal business. The president's newest golf course in Scotland at Trump International Scotland is set to open Aug. 13, and Mr. Trump will visit the site ahead of the official opening. Trump International Scotland has been open in Aberdeenshire since 2012. Mr. Trump will also visit his other Scottish golf club in Turnberry, located along Scotland's southwest coast. While in Scotland, Mr. Trump is expected to discuss trade with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a meeting the president said will "probably" take place at one of his golf properties. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union Commission, said Friday that she and the U.S. president have agreed to meet in Scotland Sunday to discuss trade, and Mr. Trump confirmed the meeting upon his arrival in Scotland. Mr. Trump will also be meeting with John Swinney, the leader of the Scottish National Party, who has promised to bring up the human suffering in Gaza when he meets with Mr. Trump. "It's great to be in Scotland," Mr. Trump told reporters upon landing. "We are going to be meeting with the prime minister I guess tomorrow, a little bit tomorrow and the next day. And we're going to do some great things." The visit is Mr. Trump's first visit to the U.K. of his second term, although he also visited during his first term. It's unusual for a modern-day president to promote his personal business on a taxpayer-funded trip — or while in office at all. Mr. Trump has said his children are managing his companies while he's president. Some of the costs for this trip, like operating Air Force One at roughly $192,000 an hour and providing Secret Service security and lodging for staff, are being covered by taxpayers. The U.K. is one of the few countries with which the U.S. has reached some agreement on trade, ahead of a rapidly approaching Aug. 1 deadline for countries to make deals with the U.S. Mr. Trump said he and Starmer may "improve" their previously reached agreement when they meet. The president has threatened to impose tariff rates between 15% and 50% on countries where a deal can't be reached before August. The U.S. had an $11.9 billion trade surplus with the U.K. in 2024, meaning the U.S. sold more goods to the U.K. than the U.K. sold to the U.S. But the U.S. had a trade deficit of roughly $235 billion with the EU last year. Before leaving for Scotland Friday, Mr. Trump said there's a "50/50 chance, maybe less than that" that his administration would reach a trade deal with the EU. Without a deal, Mr. Trump has threatened to hit imports from the EU's 27 member countries with a whopping 30% tariff rate. The president has long been critical of the U.S.-EU trade relationship, claiming the U.S. has been treated unfairly. Mr. Trump has personal ties to the Scottish countryside. His mother was born and raised in Scotland's Isle of Lewis, before emigrating to New York when she was 18.
Bloomberg
5 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Says 'We'll See' If There Will Be EU Deal Ahead of Sunday Meeting: Q&A
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters as he lands in Scotland. The president previewed a meeting with the EU's Ursula von der Leyen expected to take place Sunday, as negotiations progress on a trade deal between the US and the EU. (Source: Bloomberg)
