Unite welcomes reversal of bosses’ refusal to furlough vulnerable workers and bonus payment to Coleraine workforce

Liam Gallagher, Unite Regional Officer for workers at Kerry Foods in Coleraine, Enniskillen and Omagh welcomed recent moves by management to address outstanding issues but called on them to ensure pay reflects the indispensable status of their workforce.

“Unite welcomes the fact that management at Kerry Foods has now reconsidered its earlier refusal to furlough vulnerable workers who had provided written, medical evidence that they should shield in line with the Public Health Authority guidelines.

“Company bosses have also heard our members’ demands – in one section of its workforce at least – and provided a bonus payment of £300 pounds to those working at its Coleraine site. This reflects a partial recognition of their herculean effort to keep people fed at this time.”

“It remains indefensible however that these workers – now almost universally accepted as indispensable – are paid poverty wages by a company which made £47 million profit after tax last year.

“Negotiations have now run past the anniversary date with no sign yet of a formal response to our members’ demand to be paid at least the real Living Wage. We expect the company to urgently implement our recent pay claim demanding at least the real Living Wage and move towards the upward harmonisation of T&Cs across the three sites”, Mr Gallagher concluded.