Warbies staff await decision

THE future of Warburtons’ Shaw bakery will be known before the end of the year.

Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) revealed there will be a final meeting on December 30 to end a 90-day consultation period for the 73-year-old factory in Glebe Street, which is under threat of closure.

More than 170 members of staff face an anxious wait over the festive period after being told in September their jobs could go, after Warburtons earmarked the local bakery for closure to improve its manufacturing and distribution operations.

Roy Streeter, BFAWU’s regional officer, said: “We have been relocating some staff and 15 people who applied for jobs at Warburton’s Bolton bakery all got jobs. Some staff are approaching retirement and have taken redundancy. It’s a shame because the bakery has won lots of awards over the years.”

A Warburtons spokeswoman said: “At the moment the consultation period is still ongoing.”