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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.

Today Nestle announced that they are to cut 645 jobs at Rowntrees – this equates to approximately one quarter of the workforce at the York-based plant.

As ever, the need to remain competitive has been cited by senior management as the main driver to this decision, one that will prove devastating for those long-term employees of the company now facing the dole.