The drivers, who work for UK logistics firm Wincanton (>> Wincanton plc) based at Argos's distribution centre at Barton-under-Needwood in central England, will strike for three days from 0001 GMT on Dec. 20.

The union's dispute with Wincanton centres on how holiday pay is calculated. It said management had offered to backdate the holiday pay from April this year, while Unite says the pay should cover at least the last two years.

Unite said a strike would cause "havoc and mayhem" to deliveries in the run-up to Christmas.

Wincanton said it was disappointed with Unite's move to strike as a meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday with conciliatory service ACAS to resolve the dispute.

A spokesman for Argos, which is owned by Sainsbury's (>> J Sainsbury plc), said the retailer was encouraging both sides to keep talking.

"We also have contingency plans in place and can reassure customers we're working hard to ensure this will not impact our deliveries this Christmas," he said.

(Reporting by James Davey Additional reporting by Esha Vaish; Editing by Mark Potter)

Stocks treated in this article : Wincanton plc, J Sainsbury plc