Union ballots for strike at Park Cakes as third of jobs go

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union is balloting members on strike action at Park Cakes in Daubhill, Bolton, after bosses announced plans to cut almost a third of the workforce.

Vision Capital, which acquired Park Cakes from Northern Foods last November, said proposals to cut up to 99 of the factory's 350-strong workforce reflected the prevailing environment in the bakery sector. "Park Cake Bakeries is in a 30-day consultation period with employee representatives over proposed job losses for up to 99 jobs. The company is in discussion with those representatives about assessing potential solutions and ways to mitigate any redundancies."

But Ian Hodson, a regional officer with the union, claimed staff had been given assurances at the time of the takeover that their jobs were secure. "Staff that were made redundant at Trafford Park (closed by Northern Foods last year) were given enhanced redundancy terms and we thought that the same would apply here after Vision Capital took over. However, we are just being offered statutory terms."

There has been a large number of job losses in the bakery sector in the last six months, with British Bakeries last month announcing plans to axe 150 staff at its bakery in Plymouth and the closure of Trafford Park Bakery with the loss of 690 jobs. Staff at Oakdale Bakeries, which employs 350 people across three sites in Doncaster, Morley and Wigan, also face an uncertain future as administrators try to find a buyer for the business.