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Almost one thousand workers for the supermarket chain Morrisons are taking strike action after the employer forced changes on their pension contributions which could leave them £500 worse off.

Unite members working as warehouse stock controllers, cooks, canteen staff, and administrators were balloted for strike action to protect their pensions and take-home pay and voted overwhelmingly to take strike action which will take place over six days in May.

The union says staff who are based in warehouses in Wakefield and Cheshire perform essential roles that ensure lorries are loaded and shelves are filled in the nearly 500 supermarkets and convenience stores run by Morrisons.

They will be striking from 5am on Thursday, May 23 until 5am on Sunday, May 26 and then again from 5am on Thursday June 13 until 5am on Sunday, June 16.

Almost one thousand workers for the supermarket chain Morrisons are taking strike action after the employer forced changes on their pension contributions which could leave them £500 worse off.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is focussed on our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and these unmerited changes to workers’ pensions will leave our members worse off every month.

"Unite will not stand for such behaviour from any employer, let alone one like Morrisons who is raking in massive profits during a cost-of-living crisis. Its flagrant profiteering and then cutting our members’ take-home pay is a disgrace.”

The union claims workers are being forced to increase their own pension contributions while the supermarket giant reduces its own contributions by the same amount, which will result in workers being significantly worse off in their pay packets and see Morrisons pocket the extra money despite already making nearly a billion pounds in profits.

It said additional changes that workers are being compelled to adopt include a new, unpopular “pick rate” (the speed at which items are packed from the warehouse shelves), the removal of a service award, enforced changes to jobs roles and a failure to correctly follow absence policies.

Unite national officer Adrian Jones added: "Despite our best efforts over a number of meetings, it seems that Morrisons are not interested in resolving this dispute as they have refused to negotiate over the changes to our members' pensions and long service awards.

"Along with several other issues we have attempted to get management to see sense and find a way forward but to no avail.

"Morrisons will now witness the anger and ill-feeling of our members when they see them on picket lines outside their warehouses."

Morrisons has been contacted for comment.

Morrisons to 'witness the anger' of workers in Wakefield as they take six day strike action over forced changes to pensions