"Merseyside Matalan warehouse workers strike in pay dispute", 19 August 2019

About 500 Matalan warehouse workers have begun a 24-hour strike amid an ongoing row over pay.

Members of the GMB union at the clothes store's distribution centre in Knowsley, Merseyside, walked out at 14:00 BST.

The industrial action is the result of an "insulting pay offer," a GMB spokesman said...Further strikes are expected to follow after last-minute talks failed on Monday morning, the GMB added.

Workers voted to walk out after management made a pay offer which would see some workers receive a rise of 1.5%, the equivalent to a real-term pay cut, the union said...Matalan said the 1.5% pay rise relates to around 25% of employees who work weekend shifts and will be an increase on their £11.14 pay rate.

But a spokesman for the store said the majority of staff would receive a 4.7% pay increase and the offer - for all distribution centre staff on core shifts - was "the largest our company has ever offered without any other changes to T&Cs".The spokesman added: "It is well above inflation and cost of living increases as well as amongst the highest offered in our sector."...