'Devastating' news

Urgent talks are being sought by Unite the union as pork producer Tulip Ltd announced today (March 4) that it was consulting on the future of its West Midlands plant at Tipton with the threat to more than 600 jobs.

 

Unite which has more than 200 members at the site, said the news is ‘devastating’ for the workforce.

 

Unite regional officer Rick Coyle said, “This is devastating for our members. We will be considering the serious implications of today’s announcement very closely.

 

“I will be seeking urgent talks with the management to see what can be done to save this site and also what redeployment opportunities there may be. I will be meeting our shop stewards for detailed discussions on Friday (March 6),” he added.

 

“Unite’s top priority will be the welfare of our members and their families at this difficult time – we will be giving them maximum support in the days and weeks ahead.”

 

It is understood that the firm has proposed to transfer operations from the West Midlands site to alternative sites within its UK network which will place 642 roles at Tipton at risk of redundancy