Kerry Foods, Enniskillen RMG28
ALMOST 40 jobs are to go at Kerry Foods over the next few months due to “changes to work and shift patterns” at the Enniskillen plant.
A total of 27 agency staff and 12 short-term contract workers are to be let go at the factory between the start of May and the beginning of July, however the Kerry Group have stressed there is no threat to permanent employees’ jobs at their Carran Business Park base.
Frank Hayes, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Kerry Group, told the Herald the business was still going strong and there was no reason for concern for anyone on a long-term contract, however agency and short-term workers were to be “released.”
“Over the period to be arranged, 27 agency and 12 temporary workers will be released,” he said, adding management had begun individual consultations with the staff involved. “This is due to changes to our business mix, and plant efficiency, as well as changes to work and shift patterns.”
Mr Hayes added the Kerry Group were continuing to invest heavily in the Fermanagh factory, and said: “The plant is performing very well, in a number of product areas. There have been changes to consumer trends and changes to the product mix.
“Overall, the business is performing very well and we’re continuing to invest. There is no risk to any permanent employees.”
One of the agency staff who has been told they are to lose their job at the start of May said many of his colleagues had been there for many months and had been expecting to be eventually be given a permanent contract.
“We didn’t know anything about it until we went in on Wednesday morning, when we were told 40 jobs were to go,” they said, adding the Kerry Group had invested millions into the site in recent years. “We were told they are discontinuing the night shift, and they have to relocate the permanent workers from the night shift.”
The man, who added that he understood that one of the chicken products packaged at the site was “not selling well”, said many of the agency workers had been there for seven-eight months.
“Just because we’re with an agency, we’re still working here 40 hours a week,” he said. “Once you’re here for around six or seven months you would usually get a contract. That’s what a lot of these workers would’ve been expecting.”
The factor also recently sold off its cafeteria to an outside company, however all six workers were either kept on with the new firm or were offered new positions on the factory floor.
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