Workers Strike at Major Turkey Facility, Threatening Holiday Supplies

Workers at a significant frozen food facility in Lincolnshire have initiated a two-week strike over pay disputes, prompting concerns about the availability of Christmas turkeys. Members of the GMB Union walked out at Magnavale Easton, located near Grantham, on December 1, 2024, with industrial action scheduled to continue until December 14, 2024.

The Easton site is among the UK’s largest frozen turkey storage facilities, employing nearly 100 staff and managing products for well-known brands such as Bernard Matthews and 2 Sister Food Group. According to Andy Groves, a GMB organiser, the workers are not demanding excessive pay but rather a salary that enables them to meet their bills during the festive season. He criticized the company’s offer of a 0% pay increase as a “total insult” to hardworking employees.

The strike has raised alarm about the potential impact on frozen turkey supplies as the holiday season approaches. Groves emphasized the facility’s crucial role in providing festive turkeys across the Midlands, urging management to return to the negotiating table to resolve the dispute.

In response to the strike, Magnavale, which operates more than 500 employees across its four sites, stated that the action affects only 35 staff at Easton. The company reassured stakeholders that all operations would continue as normal. A spokesperson characterized the industrial action as “limited,” asserting it poses no risk to ongoing business activities.

“While Magnavale is disappointed that the GMB Union chose to take this action at the Easton site, there is no risk to any ongoing operations, and all business operations will continue as usual with no interruption,” the spokesperson explained.

The Easton facility, which opened in March 2025, is a fully automated cold storage facility with a capacity of 101,000 pallets. It forms a vital part of Magnavale’s network of temperature-controlled storage locations, and its expansive structure is visible from several nearby villages as well as the A1 road.

As the strike continues, the focus remains on how the industrial action will affect turkey supply chains during one of the busiest seasons of the year. The GMB Union and Magnavale are likely to face increasing pressure to find a resolution that satisfies both the workers’ needs and the company’s operational requirements.