‘Fire and rehire’ protests staged by striking Oscar Mayer workers

Pemberton Asset Management is the owner of Oscar Mayer, while Co-op is a client of the food manufacturing company.

More than 550 workers at an Oscar Mayer factory in Wrexham are currently on strike after a dispute over ‘fire and rehire’ practices.

Industrial action started on 12 September and is set to continue until 10 October, with Unite the Union stating that workers are aggrieved over plans to remove some paid breaks, reduce other breaks and end enhanced payments and days off in lieu for staff that work bank holidays.

Unite said that Oscar Mayer has threatened to fire and rehire the workers on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept the changes. The employees are involved in the manufacturing of ready meals that are sold by retailers including Co-op, Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.

With the dispute still unresolved, workers travelled to the offices of Pemberton Asset Management and Co-Op in order to place further pressure on Oscar Mayer.

Commenting on the ongoing dispute, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Oscar Mayer is dragging its own name through the mud with its despicable behaviour towards these workers.​

“Unite will ensure that every organisation associated with Oscar Mayer, as well as the public who buy its produce, knows what the company is trying to do. Unite will not stop until Oscar Mayer reverses its abhorrent fire and rehire plans.”​

Oscar Mayer responds

Asked for comment on the protests and ongoing industrial action, a spokesperson for Oscar Mayer said: “We remain disappointed by Unite’s decision to undertake industrial action and by their public claims to date, which have been factually inaccurate. We have engaged fully and constructively with our colleagues and their representatives throughout and have reached agreement with the majority of those impacted. We also have robust contingency plans in place and have not experienced any significant impact to supply for our customers.​

“The proposals have not been made lightly but we have made clear throughout that they are absolutely necessary to ensure a long-term sustainable business and protect the jobs we provide in the local community. These measures will also put us in line with the majority of other businesses in our sector and similar companies in the local area. Nonetheless, we have continued to engage with our colleagues to seek agreement on these proposals.”​

Co-op declined to comment.

In other news, Co-op has recalled several batches of pate because packs may have been contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.​​