About 400 workers at a high street chain's national warehouse have gone on strike today over changes to terms and conditions. Staff at the Argos National Distribution Centre in Magna Park, Lutterworth, began a 24-hour walk-out at 6am. Union leaders claim the action will cause "substantial disruption" to Argos customers. Workers are angry about proposed changes to contracts, which will mean all staff have to work Saturdays. They are also unhappy about plans by managers to monitor the time it takes employees to carry out tasks. The strike action involved members of the Unite union, with another 600 workers walking out at Argos distribution sites in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. Matt Draper, Unite national officer for road transport and logistics, said: "The crux to the dispute is Argos' determination to push through a new 24/7 shift pattern, without offering our members a decent compensation package to offset the severe disruption to their personal and family lives at weekends. "In many cases, it is going to cause havoc with childcare arrangements and mean spouses and partners will see much less of each other. The company's plans will seriously undermine the 'work/life' balance. "Some of our members already work weekends, but that was agreed with Unite. The new proposals impact much more on family life. The management has offered a one-off payment of £2,400, which, quite frankly, is woefully inadequate, given the massive changes in shift patterns that are being proposed for the years ahead. "The proposals also include a new measuring system for their work which, we believe, could be used as a tool to dismiss workers. "We urge the employer to return to the negotiating table and relax the new strict criteria." "We predict that Friday's strike will cause substantial disruption to the deliveries to customers." The distribution centre employs 1,000 people and dispatches almost 30 million items every year. An Argos spokeswoman said: "We have proposed changes to our distribution employees' terms and conditions. "Ninety-eight per cent of our distribution colleagues have already accepted the changes to their contract, and we are working hard to understand and address any outstanding queries or issues. "When we were notified of the strike, we activated contingency plans to ensure a normal service for our customers."
