Workers at Northern Foods’ Fenland Food Factory in Grantham blame the group’s customer Marks & Spencer for their factory’s closure, the GMB union said.
Stunned GMB members working at the Lincolnshire business are now planning a hard-hitting and sustained campaign against its closure.
GMB senior organiser Cheryl Pidgeon told FPJ her members would be demonstrating outside one of M&S largest, most high profile London stores on May 29. “There is anger and disbelief among our members here and panic is starting to set in, but there is still hope that we will be able to turn this around and prevent closure because this is not an unprofitable site,” said Pidgeon.
Next week GMB representatives will meet with representatives from the company as part of a consultation process. “We are waiting for some meaningful consultation as there is no understandable rationale behind what Fenland Foods and M&S have shared with the public so far,” said Pidgeon. “They haven’t even got their stories straight. They cannot put profit before successful products and families - 738 people work at this factory and its closure would decimate a community.”
The factory, which makes approximately 100 different ready-prepared, pasta-based meals for M&S is an important outlet for UK fresh produce. “We use fresh herbs and literally tonnes of onions a week,” said Paul Carroll, GMB convenor at Fenland Foods.
No comments yet