Talks between Douwe Egberts and coffee workers break down

Talks between a coffee company and factory workers have broken down in a dispute over shift pattern changes.

The Unite union said 300 staff at the Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) plant in Banbury, Oxfordshire, had been put into a "Section 188" process, and could be dismissed and rehired on less pay.

The company said the procedure meant things could move forward "with a view to reaching agreement".

Negotiations took place last March but were interrupted by the lockdown.

Employers are required to give a Section 188 notice to workers' representatives if they are considering 20 or more redundancies.

JDE, which makes Kenco Tassimo and Millicano at the plant, has said proposed changes to shift patterns would make the company more competitive.

Joe Clarke, Unite's National officer for Unite (food and drink sector), said the union's own proposals for shift patterns had been "dismissed offhand" by the company.

He said the workforce was "fired up", and likened JDE to "corporate gangsters".

"[They] decided to announce these changes on the day we had 1,800 deaths recorded by Covid five weeks ago," he said.

"It's no way to repay a workforce who have been working through this crisis under difficult circumstances.

"Most food/drink sector companies are rewarding their employees... yet this one think it's appropriate to give notice to dismiss and reengage the whole workforce on inferior terms as a thank you for their efforts."

He said workers were considering industrial action.

Rob Williams, JDE Banbury plant director, said there was an "overwhelming need for change".

He added: "This is why we are proposing changes to working practices at the factory - proposals which will make sure we are in the strongest possible position to compete in the future.

"There is a role for everyone and proposals do not include any redundancies within the manufacturing unit."

Unite said there had been a 40% increased demand for coffee during the pandemic.

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