Supplies of popular snacks including Hula Hoops, Skips and KP Nuts could be disrupted as workers at KP Snacks vote on strike action. The Unite union, representing 135 staff at the company's only nut-producing factory in Hellaby, Rotherham, says members are demanding a fairer share of the firm's profits, which have soared by 275% over the past five years to £54 million.
Unite claims that while profits have risen sharply, average pay for workers has fallen by 14% in real terms over the same period. The company has offered a 6% pay rise plus a one-off £1,000 payment, but the union says the lowest-paid cleaners, earning just £10.66 per hour, have been excluded from this offer.
If strike action goes ahead, the Rotherham factory would close, halting production of KP Nuts—a staple in pubs across the UK. Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson warned: 'If the strikes go ahead, pubs and supermarkets will be hit hard. Unite members are determined to get a fairer portion of the company’s huge profits.'
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham condemned the pay offer, stating: 'KP Snacks has increased its profits by 275% since 2018. This year workers won’t accept being paid peanuts. To exclude the lowest paid workers from the pay negotiations altogether is corporate greed in action.'
The ballot result is expected soon, with potential industrial action imminent if members vote to strike. KP Snacks has yet to respond publicly to the union's allegations.
