THE head of Morrisons should intervene in a  wage dispute at the company’s Gibraltar branch and fund a fair pay increase, the Unite union said today as industrial action there entered its third week.

Workers at the supermarket chain in the British overseas territory have been on strike since January 30 after the firm offered a paltry 2.4 per cent rise, despite the company’s profits for the last year hitting £828 million.

Morrisons staff in Gibraltar earn about £2 per hour less than their counterparts in Britain.

Unite has warned that the company’s proposal would leave the lowest-paid worker at Morrisons Gibraltar on £8.47 per hour, just above the territory’s minimum wage.

In a letter to chief executive David Potts, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham urged him to demand that local management get back around the negotiating table.

She said: “Morrisons is a hugely wealthy retailer. There is no excuse for underpaying workers in Gibraltar.

“David Potts must intervene to end this dispute. The strike is solid, it’s receiving strong support in Gibraltar and Unite is firmly behind the workers.”