300 Menzies' packers, pickers and drivers, all members of Unite, were originally due to stage 24-hour strikes on Friday 23 and Monday 26 September, but the day before the first strike the action was suspended so they could vote on the new offer.
86% of Menzies’ Unite membership initially voted for what would have been the first worker's strike in Menzies' history.
Unite national officer for the graphical, paper and media sector Ian Tonks said he could not reveal details of the improved offer as Unite also represents Menzies’ competitor Smiths News, but that it had been voted in with an approximate two-thirds (68%) majority.
Tonks said: “This is an offer that our membership is happy to accept. It’s always up to the membership and the membership have voted for it, a good majority, but if I said everyone is happy I would be telling a lie. However, we are significantly better off than when we started."
Menzies operations director Terry Dunning said: “We’re pleased that the union members within our workforce have voted to accept this deal, and happy that we can turn our collective focus back to delivering the best possible service for our customers.”
Edinburgh-headquartered Menzies' staff had already been balloted for strike action twice since April, after a new pay offer of £7.25, 5p higher than the government's National Living Wage, was imposed.
This was combined with the removal of double-time and time off in lieu for seven of the eight bank holidays, which was first implemented on the May bank holiday. An improved pay offer of 3.85% in June, which would have been offset by the loss in bank holiday pay, was rejected.
Tonks could not confirm whether the improved offer had reversed the removal of bank holiday double pay and time off in lieu.
“This victory shows what can be achieved when working people stand together in solidarity,” he said.
“The threat of industrial action has now been withdrawn and our members are working normally.”
The majority of those who were set to strike are based in either Scotland or the South East.
Menzies’ main distribution centres in England are in Ashford, Aylesford, Greenwich, Norwich, Portsmouth and Weybridge. Along with the Edinburgh head office, in Scotland, they are in Dundee, Dunfermline, Glasgow, Inverness, Irvine and Paisley.
In 2015, Menzies turned over just less than £2bn.
