Fears Christmas dinner could be ruined by a turkey shortage due to strikes
CHRISTMAS dinner could be ruined by a shortage this year due to strikes, an union has warned.
Families in the West Midlands may miss out on the festive staple after HGV drivers who deliver poultry decided to stage strikes.
Around 40 drivers who are members of Unite, a workers union, are taking industrial action after their employer, Culina, failed to offer them a pay rise this year.
Culina’s contract is with Avara Foods Hereford who supply Tesco and M&S, delivering poultry from abattoirs to supermarket warehouses.
The union warned that “residents in the West Midlands could see empty tables this Christmas” as a result of the industrial action.
The group of drivers have been in pay talks with Culina since April, with no pay offer having yet been made.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Culina should be ashamed it is acting as a Scrooge employer.
“Our members deserve a pay rise this year and Culina need to realise that this isn’t just any strike – this is a Unite strike.
“And our members will have the full backing of their union in this dispute.”
Drivers will be taking strike action in the week before Christmas, on December 19 and 20.
The drivers usually deliver birds to both Tesco and M&S.
These are the exact dates that both supermarkets are due to begin selling their turkey ranges in store.
Tesco has said it won’t be affected by the strikes. The Sun has contacted M&S for a comment.
Unite said more strike dates could be announced if Culina refuses to offer a better pay offer.
Unite regional officer Jason Richards added: “Our members do a skilled and vital job ensuring food gets from A to B on time.
“But they are not being valued by their employer who has refused to offer any pay increase whatsoever.
“This Scrooge-like behaviour is unacceptable and will see our members head to the picket line later this month.”
It’s not the first time in recent years shoppers have been left facing turkey shortages.
In 2022, farmers warned families could struggle to get hold of the festive staple after Bird Flu wiped out poultry stocks.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) said the poultry sector had faced a “very difficult year”.
Empty shelves
In more recent weeks, two major supermarkets have had to battle stock shortages.
Morrisons shoppers faced bare shelves last month after software the retailer uses in its warehouses was hit by hackers.
The ransomware attack saw the supermarket suffering from a lack of fresh stock including fruit and veg.
A number of shoppers posted on Facebook and X fuming at the lack of stock in their local branches and online.
Elsewhere, Tesco has been hit with grape shortages in recent weeks due to lower harvest yields in Spain.
This is when the amount of crops harvested per area of land is less than normal or expected.
Meanwhile, Aldi has revealed when it is slashing the price of its Christmas veg to just 15p as a price war kicks off.
The supermarket giant is dropping the cost of six festive essentials so shoppers can stock up for less.
The return of Aldi’s “Super Six” Christmas deal comes just a day after Sainsbury’s said it would slash vegetables to the same price over the festive period.
The supermarket confirmed yesterday it is dropping prices between December 18 and Christmas Eve for Nectar Card customers.
This includes on Brussels Sprouts, parsnips, carrots and potatoes.
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
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