2 Sisters Food Group is planning to close its Smethwick poultry processing facility in the West Midlands, which could impact 630 jobs.
The ageing poultry factory located at Bevan Way in the Alpha Business Park has considerable challenges to match the standards needed for the company and customers.
The food manufacturing company will offer the impacted workers to up to 200 jobs at its other locations in West Midlands. It also stated to explore redeployment of some of them across the region and the group.
UK trade union Unite, which has 530 of its members in the poultry plant, has taken up the cause to save as many jobs as possible through talks with the 2 Sisters Food Group’s management.
The union is set to meet the management again later this month at the Smethwick poultry plant to present its proposals.
Unite’s national officer for food Julia Long said: “One of the areas we will be investigating to mitigate job losses is redeployment across the firm's other operations in the West Midlands, as it was made clear that the Smethwick site will close.
“We won’t enter into speculation as to how many jobs may be saved.
“This announcement has been devastating news for the company's workforce at the Smethwick site and their families. Unite is offering our members maximum support at this very difficult time.”
Long concluded that the 45-day consultation period will see more talks with the 2 Sisters’ management to bring out the best possible outcome as far as future job opportunities are concerned for the impacted employees.
Earlier in the month, Unite confirmed that 69 chicken production and 59 managerial jobs were to be made redundant by 2 Sisters Food Group at its Bernard Matthews’ production plant in Great Witchingham.
In November 2016, St Merryn Foods, a 2 Sisters Food Group subsidiary said that it was looking to close the retail packaging operations of its Merthyr Tydfil meat processing site which could impact about one third of its 1000 plus workforce.