Strikes are set to take place at Albert Heijn food distribution centres after the expiry of an FNV union deadline at midnight.

The unions are demanding a 2.5% pay rise in line with inflation and more job security for personal.

For example, people on temporary contracts or who are supplied by staffing agencies should be given a permanent job if they have worked in a centre for more than 18 months, the union say.

Uncertainty

‘The company is firm about reducing spending power and will not offer any solutions to high pressure of work and the uncertainty. We’ve had enough and from now on strikes and other stoppages are on the agenda,’ the union said in a statement.

At the end of January, the supermarket group said its final offer was a 1.75% increase in pay. The smaller CNV shop workers union has accepted this deal.

The run-up to Easter is traditionally a busy time for supermarkets but the union campaign could lead to empty shelves, the NRC said on Thursday.