Staff at Northampton's Greencore sandwich firm 'may walk out' in row over agency workers while staff were furloughed

A union says staff at the Greencore firm in Northampton have been treated unfairly.

Staff at a Northampton branch of the UK's largest maker of pre-packaged sandwiches would strike over the use of agency workers while employees were furloughed, a union has warned.

Around a third of the 1,800-strong workforce at the Greencore factory in Moulton Park were furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic.

But now, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) have lodged a grievance against Greencore that is has been unfair to its Northampton staff.

The union says the company hired "40-50 agency workers" for roles it believes could have been carried out by its furloughed workforce, and now says strike action is on the table over the "unjustified" treatment of staff.

The pre-packed sandwich firm says the staff were brought in following a "sharp increase in demand" that "urgently" needed more workers on hand.

Nicolae Macari, branch secretary for the union, told the Chronicle & Echo: "We believe that for Greencore to bring agency workers back while our own workers are on furlough is unjustified and a bit upsetting for those workers who do not know when they will get to come back

"We have workers who do not understand why they are at home while agency staff are at work."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Greencore said: "Having seen a sharp, positive increase in customer demand at our Northampton facility, we were required to quickly increase headcount at the site.

"The need to swiftly increase headcount was partly met by the mobilisation of resources from our longstanding agency partner.

"Furloughed colleagues have also been invited back to work on a flexible basis and we have had a positive response to this invitation... We intend to bring back colleagues in line with demand, and in a capacity that is compatible with colleagues’ parental and domestic responsibilities.

"We are writing to all remaining colleagues on furlough to explain that we would like to be able to deploy them flexibly as needed, and look forward to their return as soon as possible."