Usdaw ‘can’t see strategic relevance’ of dairy closures

“We had no inkling that these two sites would be earmarked for closure,” ​Usdaw national officer John Gorle, who issued a statement expressing shock at plans to close the Keith and Whitburn sites in Scotland, told FoodManufacture.co.uk. “We couldn’t see the strategic relevance behind it other than sheer cost savings.”​

A total of 25 jobs are under threat at the Keith site and 116 posts at the Whitburn depot. A further 15 administrative and management roles are under review elsewhere within the company.

On behalf of workers at the depots, Gorle said Usdaw would now immediately enter into a 45-day consultation process to get to the bottom of the decision.

“We got the notification very late yesterday. Local officers will now enter into consultation to get a proper briefing from the business.”​

‘Shocked’​

In a statement, Gorle said: “We’re shocked by this announcement and will be working closely with the company to look at all of the options short of compulsory redundancy.​

“In the event of any depot closures some distribution workers could have the option of transferring to the Aberdeen and Cambuslang depots where more than 100 posts could be created.”​

That opportunity has been flagged up in a separate statement from Müller Wiseman Dairies, also issued today, which mentioned 103 jobs to be created at Aberdeen and Cambuslang.

“We have an excellent network of distribution depots which provide exceptional service but we must adapt to changes in the requirements being made of us by customers, with larger volumes of milk increasingly being delivered to regional distribution centres instead of individual stores,”​ said Müller Wiseman Dairies md Carl Ravenhall in the statement.

‘Very competitive environment’​

“We operate in a very competitive environment and it is important that our structure reflects the current and future needs of the business. It is right that we properly review our network, taking into account the views of our employees and their representatives.” ​

Robert Wiseman Dairies’ operations have been under review for some time, following its takeover by dairy giant Müller​ 18 months ago.

After the 45-day consultation period, the company said it would work to complete its strategic reviews before arriving at any decisions.

Gorle told FoodManufacture.co.uk he knew of no further job cut proposals at this stage.