UNION members dressed as Swedish pop band Abba and marched outside Wincanton’s South Marston depot in an ongoing dispute over unequal pay.

More than 400 of the workers employed by the logistics company are employed through an agency called Tempay, and are paid at minimum wage and only guaranteed seven hours of work each week.

But another 300 workers doing exactly the same job are employed directly by Wincanton at a rate of £8.45 per hour – £2 an hour more.

The loophole in the law which allows companies to pay staff doing the same job a different wage is under Section 10 of the Agency Workers Regulations – otherwise known as the Swedish derogation.

Union officials say the practice is unethical, and on Friday members of the GMB protested outside the logistics company’s depot and handed the company a corporate ASBO while wearing the Swedish garb.

Andy Newman, branch secretary for Wiltshire and Swindon GMB, said: “It’s gone brilliantly, we got the attention of Wincanton which is the main thing.

“It’s a loophole in European law which means they can get away with paying Tempay workers minimum wage while they pay Wincanton workers £8.45 per hour, and only guarantee them seven hours work a week.

“It means some of them haven’t enough money to live on and they never know if they are going to get enough hours.”

Despite calls to bring Wincanton to the table to discuss the issue, last week the company said they would not enter negotiations with union members.

Mr Newman said: “We held another protest at Wincanton’s head office in Chippenham after which they agreed to enter talks with us about giving our members a pay rise. But last week they told us they would not be entering talks, which is why we came out to protest in South Marston.

“We want to show Wincanton that we’re not going away, our members are not going to take this anymore.”

As well as dressing up as Abba, protesters also sang the words of the group’s Mamma Mia song, which they said summarised their feelings.

Chris Watts, GMB Branch President, said “A promised meeting with Wincanton has not taken place and GMB will not take this lying down.

“Many members have told me that due to their Swedish Derogation contracts they can be working for 37.5 hours one week, and then the next week can be cut back to seven hours. This leaves them feeling very precarious, and you can see how this would lead them to be reluctant to assert their rights.

“GMB calls upon Tempay to pay our members the rate for the job, and for Tempay to go back to their client, Wincanton, and ask them to cease the unethical use of Section 10 of the AWR. It is time for Wincanton to pay up.”

After the Chippenham protest, a Wincanton spokesman said: “Wincanton is a fair and ethical employer and maintains a regular dialogue with all of its employees along with union representatives.

“We endeavour to give our colleagues, whether Wincanton or agency, fair and safe working conditions.”