Unite members at a meat supplier in Birmingham are to be balloted for strike action in support of 59 colleagues who were sacked by management for challenging racist behaviour at the site.
Three hundred and eighty workers employed by 2 Sisters poultry suppliers in Birmingham - a firm which holds contracts with a number of major supermarket chains including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Asda - are to vote on industrial action.
The 59 sackings followed an incident in July at the 2 Sisters factory, which employs mainly migrant workers, when a security guard at the site is alleged to have abused a shop steward by calling him a "Fucking Paki bastard."
The shop steward was then disciplined but no action was taken against the security guard. The shop steward challenged the decision but his appeal was rejected. The plant convener went to his aid and was suspended.
Fifty-four workers then stopped work and five shop stewards acted immediately to get them to resume production, according to Unite. The five shop stewards were then suspended and subsequently sacked together with the 54 workers.
A legal battle over the sackings, which will see the company facing charges of unfair dismissal and race discrimination at an employment tribunal, is scheduled to begin in the new year.
The result of the ballot is expected on January 4.
Unite deputy general secretary Jack Dromey said: "Fifty-nine workers and their union representatives were sacked for standing up to racism in the workplace. Now hundreds of workers at 2 Sisters will decide if they too stand up to racism and support their victimised workmates. The message from the workforce is clear - this is wrong and they will strike for what is right."
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