Unite, a leading workers' union, has said it will be monitoring developments at turkey producer Bernard Matthews closely, after the management said it was: “business as usual”.
Unite said this week that at a meeting at the company’s Great Witchingham headquarters in Norfolk the management had told the union the business was not up for sale, although a number of interested parties had made approaches as to the company’s current value.
Unite represents about 450 of the 2,000-strong workforce.
Unite regional officer Steve Harley said: “The management said that the company was not up for sale, although there had been approaches about Bernard Matthews’ current financial standing.
“The message was very much: ‘business as usual’. There had been losses, but they were being addressed by a redevelopment plan as the company gears up for the peak Christmas production period.
“The management said that sales were good, although profit margins remained tight.
“There was no mention of any job losses, but Unite will be keeping an eagle eye on the situation as it develops in the weeks and months ahead, as the job security of our members is paramount.”
Speculation as to the firm’s future was sparked last month, after the owners, Rutland Partners, appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to look for possible buyers.
Unite’s members are based at the producing sites at Great Witchingham and Holton in Suffolk, as well as the animal food mill at Bawsey, near King’s Lynn.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
