Workers angry over delay to firm’s move (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Workers angry over delay to firm’s move

3:55pm Thursday 29th March 2007 in Chippenham By Benjamin Parkes

WORKERS remaining at the doomed Hygrade meat factory are angry that the firm's closure has been put back.

The meat processing business, which announced in early 2006 that it was to close its site in Westmead Lane, Chippenham, has been making staff redundant in stages since January.

The first 49 employees were made redundant on January 12, with the remaining 500 staff being told they would go in stages up to the end of March.

But the new factory site in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, is not yet ready to take the full workload and, as a result, Chippenham workers are being used to bridge the gap.

Lynda Cox, a quality assessor on the factory floor in Chippenham, said: "While some people may think it is a good thing to get a few extra weeks worth of employment, what they need to remember is that we have to plan our future."

Clare Knox, 24, who was given her notice in January said tensions are running high as people are given their notice.

She said: "No one cares any more. Everyone is getting really tense with one another and it's going to get so much worse from now on.

"It's such a small community here and everyone is going to be out looking for jobs at the same time."

"Many of us are having job interviews and if we manage to get a position it is difficult to give them a start date because Hygrade bosses want us for a bit longer. It's very disruptive."

Jobcentre Plus staff have been helping workers identify new careers and offering advice on interviews, training and writing cvs.

The Hygrade factory in Corsham is unaffected by the closures at Chippenham.

The company is now likely to sell the land in Westmead Lane to a private developer. Any development will have to include both shops and housing in order to fit in with North Wiltshire District Council's plans.