UNITE, the UK’s leading union, is launching a multi-million pound legal case on behalf of its members affected by the disgraceful decision by ready meal maker Oscar Mayer to fire and rehire them.
More than 500 Oscar Mayer workers in Wrexham initially began four weeks of strikes in September over the company’s plans to fire and rehire them to reduce wages by up to £3,000 a year.
The strikes were due to conclude this week, but the union has extended industrial action for a further two weeks due to the company’s refusal to enter into negotiations to resolve the dispute.
The workers, many of whom speak English as a second language, are being threatened with dismissal without compensation if they refuse to agree to the detrimental terms by signing new contracts. Alarmingly, some members have been dismissed as they have not fully understood the notice period deadlines to accept the changes.
In response Unite has now written to the company informing it that it is now pursuing Oscar Mayer for legal action on behalf of its members. Unite will mount a series of unfair dismissal cases (where workers have been dismissed) and protective awards cases on behalf of all its members for a failure to correctly consult with the workforce, prior to fire and rehiring them. The protective awards claim alone could be worth in excess of £3 million.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Shame on Oscar Mayer for cynically trying to fire and rehire workers in order to boost turnover at the expense of already low paid workers.
“Today we are putting Oscar Mayer on notice that no stone will be left unturned, be it industrially, legally or politically in the defence of our members.”
Oscar Mayer is one of the UK’s major ready meal manufacturers and supplies large quantities of its products to Tesco, ASDA, Greggs, Aldi, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and the Co-op.
Unite regional officer Jono Davies said: “The charge sheet is mounting against Oscar Mayer and its management. As a result of its disastrous plans to fire and rehire its workers. The company could resolve this dispute tomorrow by dropping its fire and rehire plans and entering into proper negotiations with Unite.”
A spokesperson for Oscar Mayer said: “We remain disappointed by Unite’s decision to undertake industrial action and by their public claims to date, which have been factually inaccurate. We have engaged fully and constructively with our colleagues and their representatives throughout this process and the majority of our employees have signed the new terms . At all times we have complied fully with all relevant regulations, continue to do so, and will defend our approach in the strongest terms should Unite pursue this spurious legal action.
“The changes we have made have not been made lightly but are absolutely necessary to ensure a long-term sustainable business and protect the jobs we provide in the local community. These measures also put us in line with the majority of other businesses in our sector and similar companies in the local area. We continue to engage with our colleagues.”
