The welfare fund will be used to help staff that have suffered due to issues such as job losses within their household, bereavement or long-term illness.
This support from 2 Sisters will include non-repayable welfare payments; additional leave (paid or unpaid) for those who need extra time to sort out any financial difficulties; and external and internal support from experts to help manage people’s finances and budget issues.
Cases
The help for staff comes as 2 Sisters has seen a cluster of 200 confirmed coronavirus cases at its chicken plant in Llangefni, Wales, following a rapid screening exercise.
Earlier this month, 2 Sisters was still recruiting for 200 roles across three of its sites as it looked to cope with increased demand for chicken due to the coronavirus.
Ronald Kers, CEO, 2 Sisters Food Group, said the company was “proud” of its role in helping feed the nation and the huge importance of its thousands of staff across the UK, who played a vital role.
Hidden hardship
“We do recognise that, especially during tough times, our colleagues’ lives can be turned upside down by job losses in their household, by bereavement or long-term illness. Quite often, things on the surface may seem OK, but in fact there can be hidden hardship and it can happen for many reasons,” Kers said.
“This is why we’re reaching out to colleagues who may need that extra help right now. We are launching today a £1m welfare fund and further support package, to help our colleagues, where we can.”
2 Sisters Food Group’s parent company Boparan Holdings recently announced changes to its board of directors. Boparan Holdings announced the appointment of former Co-op chief financial officer Ian Ellis to the non-executive board.