Greencore completes deep clean as 'small number' of staff return to Northampton site, company confirms

A deep clean operation has been completed at the Greencore factory in Northampton and the firm has confirmed a "small number of colleagues" have returned to the site.

The factory which was voluntarily shut by the company on Friday after the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, said the facility should be closed. Director of health at Public Health Northamptonshire, Lucy Wightman, insisted at last Friday's weekly press conference that their evidence had shown that there was no requirement to close the factory, which is why they had not done it earlier.

In a statement issued last night, Tuesday, a spokesperson for Greencore said: "Further to our update on 21 August, while production at our Northampton facility has ceased the site has undergone a thorough deep-cleaning process.

"A small number of colleagues who have completed their self-isolation periods are now beginning to return to the site, and production is therefore gradually restarting on a limited basis.

"This process is of course being carried out in close consultation with the Department of Health & Social Care, Public Health England and other government bodies."

The statement also outlined the situation regarding sick pay and basic pay for those employees affected. The company had come under considerable pressure from unions to provide clarity for workers.

"Separately, we can confirm that all colleagues who have been required to self-isolate during the months of August and September at the site and are contractually on Statutory Sick Pay will receive 80% of their basic pay.

"We have implemented this in recognition of the financial impact that those on SSP are facing, and we will also be making use of the government’s furlough scheme for those colleagues who are eligible to participate," the spokesperson said.

"In addition, all weekly paid colleagues at the site will receive an additional payment of £400. This is a bonus that would normally be paid based on attendance at the end of the year, but we have decided to waive the usual criteria and give it to all weekly paid colleagues now regardless of their attendance record. This follows on from a recent bonus which averaged £260 per colleague and was paid to all weekly paid front-line staff in order to recognise their huge contribution while lockdown was in place," the spokesperson added.

Yesterday, Public Health Northamptonshire told the Chronicle & Echo that the re-testing of Greencore employees who tested negative was still ongoing and that an update would given when appropriate.