Unite national officer for the food sector Rhys McCarthy said: “The news that Heinz is proposing nearly 250 job cuts in the UK is devastating and will, no doubt, have a huge impact on our members and their families.
“A nearly 10% reduction in UK staff is savage, unnecessary and is putting profits before people. Ruthless cost cutting to maximise returns is the hallmark of pirate privateers.
“We are now seeing it happening at Heinz which was bought out by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital venture capitalists for £18bn at the beginning of the year.
“Also of concern is that Unite, which is recognised across Heinz’s sites in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, had to find out about this through the media, and shows an enormous lack of respect for our members.
“We will be contacting the company to request urgent meetings and will make sure that proper consultation takes place to mitigate any potential job losses.”
Heinz employs 2,600 workers at its factories at Hayes, Wigan, Kendal, Telford, Westwick (Norfolk) and Worcester.
Source: Unite
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