Zarah ChoudharyLong running strike action at Wrexham’s Oscar Mayer readymeal factory is set to stretch into the summer as workers are being balloted to extend industrial action.
Around 550 Oscar Mayer workers have been striking since last September over the company’s alleged attempt to cut pay by up to £3,000 a year by firing and rehiring them on inferior contracts according to Unite.
The workers are now being balloted to extend strike action over the dismissal of a handful of colleagues during the industrial action.
According to Unite, Oscar Mayer sacked the workers after they sent a letter stating they would be working under duress under the revised terms the company wants to impose.
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “Oscar Mayer’s workers and Unite won’t back down. Corporate greed is driving this disgraceful and unnecessary attack on already low paid workers.
“It is behaviour that should have no place in our society.”
Pemberton Asset Management owns 85% of Oscar Mayer.
The London-based investment firm holds stakes in more than 100 companies around the world and manages £17bn of clients’ money.
Last year, Pemberton paid out £18m to its 14 partners, with the biggest individual payout worth £2.9m.
The ‘fire and rehire’ cuts at Oscar Mayer were found to be worth 2% of the company’s annual revenue of £343m.
Jono Davies, regional officer at Unite, said: “This dispute can end tomorrow but that can only happen if Oscar Mayer engages in meaningful discussions with Unite to find a solution that is acceptable to our members.”
Strike action at Oscar Mayer is already set to continue into March.
The ballot for further industrial action stretching into the summer closes on 20th February.
A spokesperson for Oscar Mayer said: “In the context of the commercial challenges faced by the business, operational changes implemented by the management of Oscar Mayer and significant capital injections by Pemberton have saved over 2,500 jobs.
“The recent changes to employee terms, which resulted in an average loss of £20 per week for impacted employees, were triggered by the loss of a significant contract, which represented 25% of the business volume at the Wrexham production facility.
“The alternative would have been a reduction in capacity at the Wrexham production site, resulting in a large number of redundancies, impacting up to 500 employees.
“Under these circumstances, the changes introduced are absolutely necessary to ensure that Oscar Mayer can continue to be a long-term sustainable business and protect jobs in the local community.
“Without these changes the reality is that all jobs at our Wrexham site would have been at risk.”
