Jobs warning to striking bakers

STRIKES at Park Cake Bakery have been announced for three days next week.

But bosses at the Hathershaw bakery said that striking staff could be putting jobs at risk.

About 70 staff attended a meeting on Saturday at the Honeywell Centre and decided to take strike action over a contracts dispute.

Picket lines will be drawn at the Hathershaw site on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Officials of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), with 500 members at the Oldham site, were confident most of the members would down tools from 6am on Tuesday until 6am on Friday.

A second wave of strikes has already been planned for December 6, 7 and 8. Staff at Park Cake’s Bolton site will strike on November 11, 14, 22 and 30.

Roy Streeter, regional officer for the BFAWU, said: “The people who attended Saturday’s meeting were angry.

“I’m amazed that people want to take this kind of action so close to Christmas, especially as many will lose out on a £300 attendance bonus. But this just shows the strength of feeling staff have.”

Union representatives claimed last month that management brought in a new contract to get round new Government laws designed to protect agency workers. Unions said this would create a two-tier pay system between permanent staff and new employees.

However, the company said it had consulted with the unions on the introduction of new contracts for new employees, but an agreement could not be reached.

Park Cake is the leading UK private-label producer of premium cakes and desserts and a major supplier of pastry products, with Marks & Spencer its biggest customer.

The company was bought by Vision Capital from Northern Foods in 2006.

Mr Streeter said the strikes would affect Marks & Spencer orders in the run up to Christmas.

The BFAWU general secretary said: “Staff felt managers were putting their futures on the line.

“The door is always open to management if they want to negotiate. But it is the company that stopped consultation and put these contracts in place. We’re very hopeful that we have put the message across.”

A spokesman for Park Cake Bakery: “Despite the fact that the new contract has no effect on the pay of any employee recruited by the company before September, a small minority of 80 people turning up to a branch meeting determined that strike action should be taken.

“The union is already aware that the forthcoming strike action will have no affect on the company’s position but may damage the business to such an extent that employees jobs may be put at risk.

“The company has introduced the new contracts for new employees to control costs and remain competitive following the effects of the recession and in order to safeguard existing jobs at its Bolton and Oldham sites.”