Pilgrim’s Pride unit Pilgrim’s Europe is to shut a snacking products factory in Spurway, west London.
The move is expected to affect 270 employees.
Positions “at all levels” are expected to be at risk of redundancies, a spokesperson for Pilgrim’s Europe told Just Food.
They explained the decision formed “part of the business’s on-going review of its operational footprint to ensure sites are fully optimised, securing a sustainable future for the business and our colleagues”.
Negotiations with the union representatives are expected to be carried out “shortly”, with opportunities for relocating to other Pilgrim’s Europe sites being explored.
“Pilgrim’s Europe remains fully committed to investing in, and building on, our 30-year heritage and capability to provide best-in-class service to our customers, and high-quality food solutions to our consumers”, the spokesperson added.
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The Spurway site formerly produced specialist snacks for the UK retail market. Pilgrim’s Europe’s snacking range for this region includes cocktail sausages and scotch eggs, among other products.
Just Food has asked the Moy Park brand owner to confirm the size of the Spurway site, as well as when it expects the plant to shut.
Earlier this year, Pilgrim’s Food Masters, another division of the US meat major, set out plans to close another UK factory.
A total of 260 people were expected to lose their jobs.
The workers were represented by the British trade union GMB, which confirmed that employees were due to join a 45-day consultation with staff at the Dean Way facility.
Gavin Davies, GMB’s senior organiser, then said the union had “serious concerns about how this will impact on our members and the local community with the job losses.”
In March 2023, the trade union said 1,000 employees at another site in the UK capital had been “threatened with the sack if they did not accept losing paid breaks, reduced sick pay and the removal of Diwali holiday pay” at Pilgrim’s Food Masters. The manufacturer withdrew the threat, GMB said.
That row came just four months after Pilgrim’s Food Masters announced plans to close another site in Southall, with the potential loss of more than 200 jobs. It cited “difficult headwinds” and the “inflationary environment” for that decision.
Just Food has contacted GMB’s regional team for comment on the latest Spurway closure.
