McPherson drivers plan three-day strike over pay

Drivers at McPherson of Aberlour could strike for three days from Friday (5 December) if a pay dispute remains unresolved. Following last week's 24-hour strike, union Unite says it is hoping to reopen pay talks with the company. Unite regional representative Tommy Campbell says: "We are prepared to talk to the company to resolve this dispute, but if they are not prepared to talk we will go ahead with a three-day strike on Friday, Monday and Tuesday."

Julie Benson, HR manager at McPherson, says the previous strike did not affect deliveries. "Anyone who could drive did - and we managed to get the deliveries out." She adds that McPherson remains committed to resolving the dispute, but believes Unite's claim is excessive. "We have offered 4.25% this year and an inflation-based increase for two subsequent years. Unite initially asked for 42%, but has dropped this to 8% - we believe this remains excessive in the current climate."