‘End of an era’

Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire was dealt a “crushing blow” after it was announced that the Kerry Foods factory would be shutting down with the loss of 900 jobs.

Kerry Foods, which is the largest employer in Burton, announced on Monday (June 24) that it would be shutting its plant after it lost a contract to supply ready meals to Tesco. The firm, which had held the contract for 19 years, said that because 90 per cent of the work for the Burton plant came from the Tesco contract, it did not have enough work to continue operating the factory.

Kerry Foods said it planned to shut the factory from September.

Unite regional officer Rick Coyle highlighted that while Kerry Foods had tried to find alternative markets and customers, it had failed to do so.

“The problem going forward is that there are not that many well paid jobs in Burton and the vicinity to replace those that will be lost at the end of August,” he explained.

Coyle added that the union had been in touch with the brewer Molson Coors, the second largest employer in the area, to “explore employment opportunities there”.

“Also, we will help arrange a jobs fair at the site and assist our members with their CVs and advice on updating their skills,” he said. “We will be meeting the management on Friday (28 June) to discuss an enhanced redundancy package for our members. We will leave no stone unturned to help our members in the days and weeks ahead.

“This is a very sad day for Burton and the end of an era.”

Coyle told the BBC that workers were “heartbroken” after they were told the news on Monday (June 24) evening.

“The looks on people’s faces is not something I’ll forget,” he said.

Unite national officer Joe Clarke vowed that the union would continue to put pressure on the company to find alternatives.

“We are going to be pressing for senior level discussions with Kerry food as regards alternatives and to leave no stone unturned in order to look for alternative proposals for the Burton site and its loyal workforce,” he said. “Although we cannot build up peoples hopes our membership can rest assured that we will look at every opportunity for them and the site moving forward.”