Union accuses Cambuslang chicken factory bosses of breaching negotiations
Unite claim the 2 Sisters bosses had already decided to close the factory before entering into the consultation period.
Last updated 13th Apr 2018
The trade union is planning to seek legal counsel on consultation breaches.
450 jobs in Cambuslang are set to be lost if 2 Sisters Food Group continues with the closure and ignores calls from the Union Unite to get back around the table.
The union had asked for an extension on the consultation period last week in order to go back to the Scottish Government who had offered assistance in getting the deal over the line.
But the company told Unite they were not going to take negotiations any further.
2 Sisters said they are looking for a closure schedule of August 2018.
Unite is appealing for the company to get back around the table and find a solution to keep the site open.
Unite convenor Scot Walker says: 'We met with the 2 Sisters’ management last week and asked for an extension to the consultation period so that the union could make further approaches to the Scottish Government who had offered further assistance, including the First Minister's involvement, to get it over the line.
'The company turned that down flat. They told us the factory was closing and that the consultation on that could not be extended.
'It is the union’s belief that, in this context, the obligation for the company to consult to mitigate or avoid a closure has been breached. Further, the union argues that before the company entered into the consultation period the decision had already been taken at board level to close Cambuslang.
'It now clear that the company plan is to concentrate all cooked poultry processing in one site in the UK, in East Anglia.
Scot Walker added: 'In the message to workers today there is a great shedding of written crocodile tears. The reality is different.
'It is about a closure decision that was already reached before consultation began.
'And then a process to deliver the company’s foregone conclusion.
'What a shabby way to treat a workforce that has shown great loyalty to this company.'
Unite is now to seek legal advice on these issues.