Campaign launched to get union recognised by major Melton employer
A campaign has been launched to get a union recognised by one of Melton’s biggest employers after it announced last week it was planning to close down a factory.
We reported in our most recent issue that Samworth Brothers was considering closing its Revolution Kitchen site on Pate Road.
The decision would affect the jobs of 169 people at the site, which makes plant-based food, although the firm has pledged to find alternative roles for many of the employees.
Some workers are members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) but the union say it is not recognised by Samworth Brothers.
Artin Giles, who has organised a ‘Unionise Samworth Brothers campaign’ said: "This possible closure will be extremely worrying to workers at Revolution Kitchen.
"Samworth Brothers need to guarantee no jobs will be lost.
"It's only because of the committment and hard work of their workers that Samworth Brothers had a turnover of over a billion pounds in 2021.
"That's why we're calling on the company to give all their workers a fair slice of the pie and recognise the BFAWU as the trade union for their workers."
Sarah Woolley, General Secretary of the Bakers Union said: "These staff have been working hard day in and day out and now face the possibility of losing their jobs.
"Our Unionise Samworth Brothers campaign is aiming to give workers a voice, a fair days wage and security in their workplace - if Samworth Brothers recognised their workers' union we could work together to avoid situations like this."