The UK trade union Unite has lambasted Tesco for what it terms the “abrupt and brutal” treatment of staff at a Kerry Foods facility in Burton-on-Trent in England, after the grocery giant terminated a chilled foods contract.

The union says that the sudden termination could put hundreds of jobs at risk.

“Tesco has abruptly terminated the contract for Kerry Foods to supply ready-made meals for its supermarkets,” Unite regional officer Rick Coyle said.

“The contract has run for 19 years with no complaint about the service quality and delivery, which makes the Tesco decision all the more brutal.”

Our first priority is to our people

A statement from Kerry Group confirmed that the contract has been terminated and that it was currently looking for other business opportunities for the site.

Priority to the people

“Regrettably, a major customer has confirmed to Kerry Foods that it will be moving our chilled meals business currently produced at our Burton site to another supplier,” a spokesperson for Kerry said.

“As one of the biggest employers to the local area, our first priority is to our people. We will continue to work with them and relevant suppliers into the near future as we explore other opportunities for our business.”

Eight-month transition period

The spokesperson also stated that there would be an eight-month transition period and that the decision would not come into effect until June 2019.

Tesco stated that the contract termination was due to an “extensive six-month review”, which necessitated changes to the supply chain for their Indian and Oriental ready meals.

“We remain absolutely committed to working in partnership with all our suppliers and will do all we can to support Kerry Foods during the transition process,” Tesco stated.

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