{"id":7807,"date":"2016-02-19T16:01:11","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T16:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=7807"},"modified":"2016-02-19T16:01:11","modified_gmt":"2016-02-19T16:01:11","slug":"save-somerset-cider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=7807","title":{"rendered":"Save Somerset cider"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A delegation of workers from the threatened Shepton Mallet Cider Mill is due to meet Somerset\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s MPs on Tuesday (February 23) to explore ways of creating new employment opportunities in the county.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe delegation of shop stewards will meet the MPs under the auspices of the all-party parliamentary group on cider at the House of Commons to discuss the cider mill closing at the end of the summer with the loss of 120 jobs, ending a tradition stretching back to 1770.<\/p>\n

 
\nMore generally, the delegation would like to float other ideas that could help employment opportunities regionally such as small industrial estates adjacent to market towns, and increasing broadband access to assist home working and tele-commuting.<\/p>\n

 
\nThe union understands that three non-cider making manufacturing firms have approached the cider mill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s owner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s C&C Group about the site, but no further details have been made available as it is said they are \u00e2\u20ac\u0098commercially sensitive\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite has argued that there was no need for the site to close with production of well-known brands, including Blackthorn and Olde English, moving to the Magners plant in Clonmel in the Irish Republic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Only fruit will continue to be pulped at Shepton Mallet, but then shipped to Ireland.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Shepton Mallet workers are being sacrificed because of historic commercial failings that, in our view, have led to the overcapacity issues across C&C,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Unite regional coordinating officer Steve Preddy.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe will want to discuss with the MPs the reasons behind the announcement that the cider mill will close and how multi-national companies treat hard-working employees in such a casual off-hand fashion,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMore generally, Unite recognises that there is a need for an economic blueprint to create more employment in the West Country \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the region can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just survive on tourism and a poorly-paid service sector. We would like to discuss if there is common ground with the MPs on this issue.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite chief shop steward at the cider mill Stephen Faulkner, who will be at the meeting with MPs, welcomed the opportunity to put the case to the MPs on behalf of \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthe dedicated, hard-working employees,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 who, he noted, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bhave put in over 30 years\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 service at the mill.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere is something not right about Somerset apples being used to make traditional Somerset ciders in Ireland when we have the skills, tradition and enthusiasm to continue to make high-quality cider in Shepton Mallet,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Faulkner added.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe closure will have a very detrimental impact on the town and great hardship and anguish for our members looking for new jobs in the county. It is time for a rethink by the management of C&C and we hope that the MPs will support us in this.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nRead Stephen Faulkner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s blog for Labour List on the fate of Somerset cider-making here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A delegation of workers from the threatened Shepton Mallet Cider Mill is due to meet Somerset\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s MPs on Tuesday (February 23) to explore ways of creating new employment opportunities in the county.   The delegation of shop stewards will meet the MPs under the auspices of the all-party parliamentary group on cider at the House […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[487,488],"wps_subtitle":"Fight to save 250-year-old tradition ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7808,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7807\/revisions\/7808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}