Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 2

Food factory reps deliver the goods

Next time you’re in the food aisle at the supermarket and looking to purchase sliced ham, gammon or fresh pork there’s a good chance the item will have been processed, packed and dispatched by Usdaw members at the Malton Bacon Factory in North Yorkshire. In another workplace feature, which proves Usdaw is more than just the shopworkers’ union, Arena took a closer look at life behind the scenes at one of the UK’s biggest food processing sites.

Grampian Country Food Group

• Grampian Country Food Group (GCFG) is a privately owned business originally established in 1980 at Banff in the North East of Scotland.

• Through a number of acquisitions it is now one of the UK's leading food processors supplying all of the major multiple retailers with chicken, pork, beef, lamb and turkey products.

• It employs almost 25,000 people at sites across the UK (and also operates in Thailand, the Netherlands and Portugal).

• It has a turnover of £2 billion.

• In addition to supplying the leading retailers it has a number of well-known brands including Hall's, Buxted, Cookstown, Grampian, and Highland Organics.

• GCFG has its own distribution company Grampian Country Transport originally set up to service the company's requirements in 1992, it has since expanded into a main player in the logistics sector.

The first thing you notice once you step inside this highly mechanised and labour intensive factory is that everyone works hard for their money. The factory operates a well-drilled routine where everyone knows their job, nothing is left to chance, and the whole process is closely monitored in terms of production, hygiene and quality.

At the Malton Bacon Factory, which paradoxically does not produce bacon, more than 2,200 employees play their part in supplying the UK market with pork-related products, 24 hours a day seven days a week on the 43 acre site.

The small army of butchers, process workers and packers are kitted out in wellingtons, white coats, hard hats, hair nets and ear protection. Hygiene is evident all around with a strict routine of 'scrub up' before and after moving in and out of the departments.

Organising this massive site is a huge task for the team of reps who at the moment number 12 and look after more than 1,200 union members at the site. The Norton branch is among the biggest in the North east division and has a strong tradition of supporting other Usdaw members in retail and beyond.

Health and safety co-ordinator Amanda Davison, branch secretary of Norton F152, is at the heart of the action and is positive about the future. "Since Grampian took over three and a half years ago, we are now working much more closely and productively with the site management team," she said. "There is a commitment from the management team and the union to do things better and together. At the moment almost everything is under review!

"Last year we had one of the most constructive pay negotiations in the history of the site. We now have regular joint consultative committee meetings. We are closely involved in the decision-making process with the on-site management team to review the bonus and sick pay scheme. The negotiations also saw staff with ten years' service receive a special payment."

Communications at the site play a crucial role and in addition to branch meetings the reps produce a newsletter which is distributed among staff and make sure the union noticeboard is kept up-to-date. They also use the more tried and trusted method of talking directly to members and make full use of induction sessions where many new starters are signed up.

The workforce is made up of a multi-cultural mix of employees who are making the most of the on-site learning centre which offers courses in English as a second language, IT and basic skills. "Many staff have taken the chance to return to learning and are on the way to a recognised qualification," said Amanda.

Health and safety continues to improve and a recent Health and Safety Executive seminar, held in London, singled out Grampian for its success in reducing accident rates and putting in place a strategic safety plan involving Usdaw and other unions. "Previously the union had very little input into health and safety issues," said Amanda. "Now we are involved on a daily basis."

Shop steward Phil Swailes is under no illusions on the challenges ahead. "It's a competitive business and it's hard graft here," he said. "However we are now part of a big group, we have set up a joint consultative committee, and we're reviewing key elements of the procedural agreement. So these are positive moves."

Rep Steve Jarvis has been at the site, the biggest employer in the area by a long shot, for nine years. "This is a tough working environment," he said. "Many people in the outside world probably don't realise just how tough it is. The management and union are working together and it's clear we are moving in the right direction."

Rep and engineer Paul Kemble wants to see more workers signed up. "We've a lot to do to increase membership," he said. "It is good, but this is a difficult site to organise. We had fewer reps this time last year but with more reps in place now I'm sure we'll achieve our goals."

The food processing sector is one of the toughest in the UK with tight margins and constant pressure."I think it's important people like us in food processing aren't forgotten about," added Amanda. "We do an important job and we're an important part of Usdaw."

Usdaw in Grampian

• More than 900 at Ashton Foods in the North West division.

• More than 150 members at the Cookstown site in Northern Ireland.

• More than 650 at the Broxburn Bacon site in Scotland.

• Other members can also be found at Elmswell Bacon (C58 in Eastern division), Leeds No. 3 branch and North Wales General branch.

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