Campaigns
■ F enland Foods
n May 29 over 100
O
GMB members from
the Fenland Foods
factory in Grantham,
Lincolnshire, which
makes ready meals for Marks and
Spencers, demonstrated outside the
flagship M&S store in Marble Arch to
protest over the company’s role in the
decision to “mothball” the factory.
General Secretary Paul Kenny and
regional organisers Cheryl Pidgeon
GMB General
and Andy Fletcher led a peaceful
Secretary Paul
demonstration outside the store.
Kenny and GMB
GMB members carried banners with
convenor for
Fenland Foods
slogans “Not just a factory closure – this Paul Carroll lead
is an M&S closure”, and “Help save
the protest.
my parents’ jobs”. The action cut off
this main thoroughfare for two hours
and forced a showdown with three
M&S directors, who invited GMB
negotiators into the building for talks.
“No choice” but to close
GMB
takes on the
Parent company Northern Foods
announced that it had “no choice” but
to shut the Fenland Foods factory after
it had failed to agree the terms of a
supply contract with M&S.
About 730 staff at the site, who
high street stores
make half a million Italian ready meals
for M&S each week, are slated for
redundancy in August. They say that “Not just a factory closure – this is an M&S closure”
closing the Fenland Foods site will
decimate job prospects in Grantham. factory, said: “Both Northern Foods “M&S is explained the financial rationale for
Workers at the site have boycotted and M&S are making big profits making the closure to them. He said: “M&S
the M&S store in Grantham since the and keep banging on about how well money, is making money, Northern Foods is
decision to stop production at the site they’re doing, but they are cutting Northern making money, they don’t have to close
was announced. They also vented their costs every way they can. A lot of
Foods is
this factory. It’s the corporate squeeze.”
anger over their treatment by Northern people are cancelling holidays as it’s
making
“People are very confused – all of
Food, saying that the manufacturer had not going to be possible for everyone
money, they
them have worked at a plant that has
increased their workload in order to in Grantham to get new jobs.”
don’t need
made money year in, year out. It has
help M&S with a new promotion. Colin Gunter, 49, has worked at the
to close this
made money consistently up until last
Karin Schoss, who works at Fenlands site for more than 10 years. He said it
factory”
year. They just don’t understand [why
preparing vegetables for the ready was hard to believe that, after 21 years,
Paul Kenny
the plant needs to close].”
meals, said: “We don’t understand it. M&S and Northern could not find a
GMB General
Secretary
However, it seems that GMB’s
Every time we had a briefing they way of keeping the plant open. protest has had the desired effect. It
would say how excellently we were “We can understand that M&S is understood that M&S directors
doing. We would hit targets, achieving has a duty to shareholders, but we are told GMB negotiators on the day of
nearly 100% and get our free coffee. talking about a community here – it’s the demonstration that they would
That’s how they reward us, you see not just 730 jobs, but the community as force Northern Foods to explain why
a
r
d

Wi – giving us a free coffee from the a whole.” keeping the Fenland plant open was
vending machine.” Paul Kenny said that members were no longer financially viable.
n
d
r
ew
A Lindsey Sale, a cleaner at the understandably angry that no one had Northern Foods – whose chief
22 www.gmb.org.uk
INS02.nat_fenland 22 16/7/08 12:47:0 pm
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