Union loses fight to save Birds Eye plant

- Published: 07 February, 2005

Page 10

Up to 600 workers face redundancy at the end of this month following Unilever's decision to sell its Grimsby Birds Eye ready meals plant to cold storage company Alpine Coldstores.

The company would not say how much the deal was worth but Alpine will assume ownership from March 1.

The GMB trades union had tried to persuade Unilever to reconsider its options for the plant (see Food Manufacture, September 2004, p4). Following the deal, the GMB said that Alpine had given a verbal commitment that "some manufacturing operations" would continue at the Ladysmith Road site, but the firm refused to comment.

As well as providing temperature-controlled storage, Alpine claims to be the largest processor of frozen vegetables in the country. However, vegetable processing is not as labour-intensive as ready meals production and it is likely that many jobs will go.

The GMB said those that remained would be less skilled, but added: "If it saves any jobs, the deal will be a step in the right direction."

GMB believed Unilever plans to move ready meal production to Ireland and employ eastern European labour, but it has not made any decision.