Indymedia YorkNestle Rowntree workers will not accept swingeing cuts
Amicus say that Nestle Rowntree workers in York will not accept cuts of 30% to 40% in their pay and conditions.
The union that represents workers at the York plant say workers are being threatened with cuts of up to a quarter of their salary or face redundancy. This follows the company’s announcement two weeks ago that it was shedding a quarter of it’s workforce (620 jobs) in York.
Officers of Amicus and the GMB trade unions representing workers at the plant are meeting with Hugh Bailey, MP for the City of York about the company’s threats. The Prime Minister has also agreed to meet with the unions about the company’s plans to offshore work.
Tony Randerson, Amicus officer for Nestle Rowntree in York, said:
“Management have made clear that unless our remaining members accept significant cuts they face the same fate as their colleagues who have already lost their jobs.
“We are making clear to the company that although we will work with them to ensure the plant is viable and, if necessary, cost savings are made, eroding hard won and hard fought for pay and conditions and threatening employees with the sack is not an acceptable way to operate.”
The union says that threatening workers with the sack and imposing severe pay cuts is in breach of international employment guidelines and that they will be making representations to the company at an international meeting of all the trade unions involved with Nestle in Geneva next week (Tuesday 10th October).
Representatives of the York plant will stress to the European unions the existing agreement not to accept new production from other plants until consultation with the company has been exhausted. This follows the company’s announcement that it would be moving the production of the Smarties line from York to Hamburg, Germany.
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Nestle Breaching OECD Guidelines On York Job Loses
International Food Workers Union (IUF) Accuses Nestle Of Breaching OECD Guidelines On York Job Loses. IUF calls on UK and Swiss governments to convene a meeting with Nestle to discuss the breach of guidelines.
The General Secretary of IUF, Ron Oswald has written to the UK and Swiss governments accusing Nestle of being in breach of OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Following Nestle's announcement of their intention to eliminate 645 jobs and transfer certain product lines from Yorkto other plants on the continent, the company announced that it was unilaterally withdrawing from existing collective agreements setting out terms and conditions.
The IUF letter says that has Nestle stipulated "Should agreement not be achieved, new terms and conditions will be applied via a process of termination and re-engagement".
The letter goes on to say that this act is clearly designed to put severe pressure on the workers and their union representatives at Yorkto accept conditions unilaterally imposed by Nestle management in its intention to achieve a 15% reduction in costs. This approach is a clear violation of the OECD Guidelines, Section IV.7 of the OECD Guidelines states that enterprises should:
In the context of bona fide negotiations with representatives of employees on conditions of employment, or while employees are exercising a right to organize, not threaten to transfer the whole or part of an operating unit from the country concerned…. In order to influence unfairly those negotiations or to hinder the exercise of a right to organize.
Ron Oswald, General Secretary of IUF stated that "this amounts to a 'take it or leave it' offer made against a background of ongoing production transfers and the threat of further transfers, for example transferring the production of the entire line of 'Smarties' products to Nestle's plant in Hamburg Germany.
We therefore request the UKNCP, in co-operation with the Swiss NCP, to offer its good offices to resolve the issues arising from these violations of the Guidelines in an efficient and timely manner. The unions at Yorkhave indicated their willingness to engage in good faith negotiations with the company. Nestle should similarly commit itself, rather than unilaterally withdrawing from a negotiated agreement and issuing ultimatums backed by the threat of immediate sacking and production transfers".
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