Workers employed by Hargreaves Industrial Services at a fertiliser factory in England are preparing to strike over pay.
This is according to a statement from Unite, a trade union, today (Wednesday, August 9) on workers at CF Fertiliser’s Billingham factory.
At the factory, workers pack and load ammonium nitrate produced at the County Durham site for distribution to farmers across the country.
Unite stated that “workers are angry at a derisory pay offer from Hargreaves”.
This offer, the trade union explained, came from a company which had a turnover of £59 million and made pre-tax profits of £2.9m in the year ending May 2023.
CF Fertiliser had a turnover of £252m in the year ending December 2023 and made operating profits of £30m, Unite stated.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Both Hargreaves and CF Fertiliser can fully afford to ensure these workers receive a fair pay offer.
“Our members at Billingham will receive Unite’s total backing during these strikes.”
The workers will strike from September 12 to September 20, and from September 28 to October 6. Industrial action will escalate if the dispute is not resolved.
The strikes will cause severe disruption to CF Fertiliser’s Billingham operations and impact the supply of fertiliser for farmers across the country.
Unite regional officer Neil Howells said: “There is still time for industrial action to be avoided but that will require a pay offer being put forward that our members can accept.”
Fertiliser factory
Last year, CF Fertilisers UK (United Kingdom) announced a proposal to permanently close the ammonia plant at its Billingham Complex in order to secure the long-term sustainability of its business in the UK and more efficiently serve its customers in the country.
CF Fertilisers UK made this proposal due to its forecast that producing ammonia at Billingham would “not be cost-competitive for the long-term compared to importing ammonia” due primarily to projected high natural gas prices in the United Kingdom relative to other regions and the impact of carbon costs.
The company continues to produce ammonium nitrate (AN) fertiliser and nitric acid at the Billingham site using imported ammonia.
