When the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) in England was first abolished in 2013, the government at the time said scrapping it would cut ‘red tape’. But five years on, all that’s been cut is the…Read more…
‘Abrupt and brutal’
The ‘abrupt and brutal’ termination of Tesco’s contract with Kerry Foods has put hundreds of jobs at risk at the Burton-on-Trent site, Unite warned today (October 24). The Tesco ready-made…Read more…
Seven months’ food supply warning
Britain could only sustain itself on home-grown produce for seven months in the event of a Brexit that prevented food from easily being imported from the EU and abroad, according to new research….Read more…
Sainsbury’s talks continue
Unite held three hours of talks with Sainsbury’s management yesterday (August 8) when, Unite national officer for the food industry Joe Clarke said, the union “made robust representations…Read more…
‘Sign or be sacked’?
Unite is due to hold talks with Sainsbury’s bosses on Wednesday (August 8) over a collective grievance by the union’s members in the long-running ‘sign or be sacked’ contracts row affecting 123,000…Read more…
‘Alarmingly high’
At least two abattoir workers are seriously injured in the UK every week and amputations occur at least once a month, shock new figures show. The data – obtained by the Bureau of Investigative…Read more…
Listen to workers call
Unite warned ministers and competition authorities against overlooking the concerns of workers and food producers when weighing up a proposed merger between the supermarket giants Sainsbury’s and…Read more…
‘We’ll continue to fight’
Unite has vowed to fight the announced closure of a 2 Sisters plant in Cambuslang, Scotland as the union now seeks legal advice to stop up to 450 job losses. In February, plans were first…Read more…
‘No business case’
Coca Cola has not made the business case for the closure of its sites at Milton Keynes and Northampton and should have an urgent rethink, Unite said today (March 28). The drinks giant has…Read more…
‘Sense of betrayal’
Unite said it would leave no stone unturned in the fight to save jobs and avert the closure of three poultry plants after 2 Sisters Food Group announced plans to close its Cambuslang site in Scotland…Read more…
Bakery dispute settled
Drivers at the Kingsmill bakery in West Bromwich, who deliver 1.5 million loaves each week, have overwhelmingly accepted a revised pay offer and have called off their threatened strike action. …Read more…
Under pressure
Mental health and stress in transport and food workplaces are right at the top of our agenda. Pressure to win contracts through undercutting in the relentless “race to the bottom” translates into…Read more…
Halt plant closure call
Unite and GMB have written to the independent directors of Britvic plc and copied to the company calling on them to meet community and workforce representatives and halt the proposed closure of the…Read more…
2 Sisters plant reopens
A chicken processing factory that was closed for a month following reports of poor hygiene practises reopened yesterday (November 6), after working with Unite to improve standards. Bosses at…Read more…
Just ‘grow more food’?
Ministers need to stop misleading the public over the impact of a hard Brexit, Unite has said, after transport secretary Chris Grayling claimed farmers could simply grow more food if the UK crashes…Read more…
‘Cautious welcome’
A ‘cautious’ welcome has been given by Unite to a proposed joint venture of two UK poultry heavyweights which will employ 6,000 workers. The merger is between Cargill’s UK fresh chicken…Read more…
‘What are they hiding?’
Unite has discovered the government is suppressing information on expected changes in food prices as a result of the UK leaving the European Union. The refusal to publish the report increases…Read more…
‘Crops left in the fields’
Britain is leaving the EU during a period when it is more reliant on foreign food than any time in the past 40 years. If the UK had to rely on home-grown food in 2017, supplies would have run…Read more…
Biscuit giant goes ‘gold’
Unite and global biscuit giant pladis, the confectionery company behind the iconic McVitie’s brand, announce the signing of an engineering apprenticeship agreement yesterday, July 25. The…Read more…
‘Incredible disrespect’
Unite the union has accused whisky giant Chivas Brothers of ‘disrespect’ to workers. The company – owned by French-based multinational Pernod Ricard – confirmed in November last year…Read more…