Up to 82 jobs are at risk at Moy Park’s Grantham processing plant in Lincolnshire, after the company decided to change its shift pattern. The firm said it was proposing to streamline shift patterns at the site s a result of “capacity and productivity growth”.
Moy Park plans to align the seven day working pattern at its Grantham factory to a five day working pattern. This will improve the team’s availability and versatility and will enable an alignment of the company’s new manufacturing model to the opportunities in the prepared foods market for both retail and foodservice.
Moy Park envisages that up to 82 positions at Grantham could be impacted by the changes and a full, collective consultation process will commence with staff and their representatives. The company hopes to offer redeployment opportunities to those affected.
Over the past three years Moy Park has invested more than £20 million to secure the long-term future of the site and the facility now has one of the most advanced coating lines in Europe and is equipped to deal with current and future demand. The company employs approximately 1,000 people at the site.
Andrew Nethercott, Prepared Foods Business Unit Director of Retail, Moy Park said: “We will be providing staff with support and guidance regarding the proposed changes during the consultation stage and we welcome their input as part of this process. We are focused on offering as many redeployment opportunities as possible across the business.
“Grantham is a flagship facility with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, making it one of the most efficient of its kind. Our past investment ensures the site has capacity for growth in the future and Grantham remains vital to our overall development plans.”
Last month over 3,000 Moy Park workers were balloted for strike action in a row over workforce terms and conditions. The trade union Unite claimed Moy Park made “unreasonable demands” in ongoing pay negotiations in Northern Ireland, arguing that management risks undermining existing terms with its proposals on shift allowances, sickness schemes, holiday entitlement, statutory days and breaks.
The union also argued that Moy Park’s £60 million pre-tax profits meant that “the attacks on workers’ pay and conditions are simply part of a drive to maximise profits and increase returns for corporate shareholders.” It claimed the situation had been on the cards since the arrival of a new management team following Moy Park’s sale by JBS to Pilgrim’s Pride in 2017.