The five strike dates, spread over late April and early May, were backed by a 97% majority of the 40 unionised production staff.
According to organising union Unite, these 40 make up almost the entire production team at the facility, which employs around 200 staff in total.
The workers already rejected a below inflation pay offer. They were offered a 9.5% pay increase but on average only would have received 6.5% of the offer as a consolidated increase (permanent pay) with the rest being a one-off lump sum payment.
Unite described the offer as a real terms pay cut with the inflation rate (RPI) currently standing at 13.8%.
Production is expected to cease on the 21, 25, and 29 April, and then on 5 and 8 May, with each action halting work for 12 or 24 hours.
The Partington factory produces around 430,000 tonnes of recycled paper for corrugated board each year, selling much of its products to sister company Saica Pack, which supplies companies including Amazon, Dominos, and Diageo.
The European paper giant’s UK operation saw a gross profit of £69m in 2021.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Saica Paper is a highly profitable company which could and should be rewarding its workers with a fair pay increase.
“It is the hard work of our members which has made the company successful and it is only right that they receive a fair share of the company’s profits.”
Unite’s regional officer, Gary Fairclough, added: “Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to Saica Paper’s customers but this dispute is entirely of the company’s own making, pay talks began in September last year and it has stubbornly refused to make a fair pay offer.
“While the company is highly profitable our members are struggling to pay their food and heating bills during the worst cost of living crisis experienced in the UK for decades.”
A Saica Paper spokesperson said: “We are aware of the planned industrial action.
"We have taken steps to build up stock levels in advance of the planned days of action and are confident that we will be able to continue production. We will be liaising with clients as appropriate over the coming days to ensure we minimise disruption.
“As with businesses up and down in the UK, a combination of significant cost increases across everything from energy to transportation and raw materials are posing significant financial challenges that must be managed sensibly.
"While we respect the Union’s right to take this action, we have made an offer taking into consideration all these factors.
"We wholeheartedly value our employees, we remain open to dialogue and we are keen to get around the table again to find a solution that is workable to all concerned.”
