B&Q lorry drivers have gone on strike for two days as part of a pay dispute with their bosses.

More than 90 members of the transport team responsible for sending stock to stores around the country walked out on Sunday afternoon to highlight their frustration with an apparent lack of progress in negotiating a wage increase.

They claim that they are being paid around £4,000 less than colleagues in Doncaster who do exactly the same job.

GXO, which manages the lorry fleet on B&Q’s behalf, says the two sites are not comparable and that an offer presented to the Swindon union would make the wages equal but this was not balloted to union members.

The USDAW union says that a 5.25 per cent pay increase was rejected.

One source told the Adver: “One of the main reasons for this strike is because of the massive 9.3 per cent pay disparity between Swindon and Doncaster.

“We were promised parity with them before, but it hasn’t happened, so we said we have had enough.

“GXO also won’t give us full back pay, only nine months instead of 12, which breaks a previous agreement.

“They can afford to bring in subcontractors to cover shifts during the strike, so they could quite easily give the drivers what they are asking for.”

Another source told the Adver: “We are being undervalued by GXO. We have been fighting for this for four years but nothing has materialised.

“Drivers in Swindon know that, economically, it’s more expensive to live down south, so thought they were being generous by only asking for the same money as that paid at other sites on the same contract, rather than adding the cost of living difference.

“GXO can’t find the money for this but they can spend £762 million on the takeover of Wincanton.

“Drivers alongside the union have tried to assist with the pay talks but management are very stubborn and fail to see that their biggest assets are the workforce who worked “all through Covid, risking their health and the health of their families.

A GXO spokesperson said: “We have already made an enhanced offer as part of these negotiations through ACAS.

“We are disappointed that this enhanced offer has not been communicated to our colleagues and we are open to work with ACAS and USDAW to find a resolution.

“We are working closely with our customer and are confident we can mitigate the impact of the industrial action.”