West Midlands food factories are under threat

The 2 Sisters Food Group had previously denied claims from union Unite that it had threatened to close its chicken cutting factories in Smethwick, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton unless 1,500 workers accepted plans to change the shift patterns.

Staff work a five-day shift from Monday to Friday but the company wants them to work five days out of seven days.

Group spokesman Andre Hanson has now admitted his denial was on the basis that there was no firm plan to close sites. "The company has been open, the sites would have no future if it didn't get agreement," he added.

Unite members, who make up 80 per cent of the workforce, were last week balloted over whether they would accept the change and in two messages from management ahead of the vote, leaked by an anonymous 2 Sisters employee, it was clear the threat of closures was real.

In one staff were warned the group proposed closing its two factories at Alpha Business Park, Smethwick, next month if there was failure to agree the new shift pattern. The other said that rejection of the change could result in the company closing its site at Dial Lane, West Bromwich.

Mr Hanson said the company had won new business and to service that needed to move to staff working five out of seven days.

"If we don't do that it will put the kibosh on the new work that we have won," he added.

Mr Hanson said acceptance of the new conditions would mean job creation at the factories in Smethwick, West Bromwich and Lincoln Street, Wolverhampton.

He said talks with the union, which last December accepted in principle the change to five out of seven-day working, were ongoing.

"We don't want to comment further until we have had a follow up meeting with them," he added.

The union has not confirmed the outcome of the ballot. Senior communications officer Shaun Noble said they were seeking talks on implications for the factories.