Union officials have expressed their “shock” at the prospect of over 130 jobs being lost at UK milk processor Robert Wiseman Dairies.
The dairy company, which supplies milk to the likes of Tesco, announced today (27 January) that a production site and a distribution depot could close.
Some 69 staff at the production facility at Okehampton could lose their jobs, while 68 workers at the depot in Fife could leave the company. Wiseman has said alternative jobs could be find elsewhere in the business and has started consulting with staff on the changes.
John Gorle, national officer for the Usdaw union, said compulsory redundancies could not be ruled out.
“The scale of the proposed changes and the number of jobs threatened is a shock and will obviously be very distressing news for our members,” Gorle said.
“Consultations on a site by site basis will start shortly and we will examine Wiseman’s business case for the proposals in detail. The company has said that limited opportunities for redeployment exist and that they will seek volunteers for redundancy, but at the moment compulsory redundancies certainly can’t be ruled out. These are loyal and dedicated workers and Usdaw will be doing all we can to defend their jobs and to represent them throughout the consultation process.”
