MORE than 400 workers at a Bridgwater factory have started strike action today (Tuesday).

Up to 430 employees at fruit juice giant Refresco Gerber downed tools in the first of a series of 36-hour stoppages in protest at job cuts and contract changes which followed the merger with Refresco last year.

The 11 strikes will take place over the next ten weeks, following what the Unite union says is a refusal by the company to fully negotiate new pay rates. According to Unite, the current pay structure will mean new staff will earn about £5,000 less than long-term employees.

Roy Winter, Unite regional officer, said: “Loyal staff who have worked hard to make Refresco Gerber Europe’s biggest juice manufacturer feel betrayed by plans to railroad through cuts to their pay, terms and conditions.

“They’re angry that their modest working conditions are being torn up in a bid to squeeze every last drop of profit out of them.

“This further attack on their terms and conditions will deepen the daily struggle to make ends meet a majority of the workforce face.”

In a statement, the company, which employs 500 people at the Bridgwater site, said it is disappointed with the employees’ decision to take strike action, claiming only four redundancies have been made as part of the business review with a further 30 settlements agreed.

A Refresco Gerber spokesman said: “Those people who opt to take industrial action will hold a series of 11 walkouts over a period of ten weeks, commencing on January 27.

“The rest of the business will carry on operating as normal, and as a result of considered forward planning we believe we’ll be able to meet our customer obligations.

“We’re disappointed that this decision has been reached as we’ve worked hard to protect jobs and pay levels, and spent four months negotiating with Unite, who recommended to their members on two different occasions that they accept the new terms.

“Over the past couple of months we’ve held positive one-on-one discussions with team members and 95% have chosen to accept the new employment terms.

“The majority of the workforce just wants to get on with the job in hand.”

The juice maker has been based in Bridgwater since the 1820s, and produces supermarket own brand products for the likes of Waitrose, Asda and Tesco.