MPs Angela Rayner and Andrew Gwynne have issued a statement after a huge food supplier in Ashton-under-Lyne announced plans to close its site - putting nearly 550 jobs at risk.
Pilgrims UK, one of the Britain's largest pork providers, is proposing to shut its Dukinfield base, as it cited current unfavourable market conditions in the country as a driving factor.
The proposals mean that all 542 staff employed at the site on Bow Street have been told they are at risk of redundancy. The company said it had entered into a consultation process with employees.
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Rayner, who is Deputy Labour Leader and an MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, and Gwynne, MP for Denton Reddish, have now issued a joint statement, as they described the proposals 'incredibly concerning.'
"This is an incredibly concerning proposal, which puts lives and livelihoods at risk right in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis," they said, in a statement provided to the M.E.N.
"Our thoughts are with the Pilgrims’ employees who are understandably extremely anxious about their jobs and finances.
"We'll be writing to Pilgrim’s UK to urge them to reconsider this decision, and to engage with workers, elected representatives and local people to avoid this closure. We will also be liaising with trade unions to see if there’s anything more we can do to help them at this worrying time."
Local councillors have also expressed their "shock" following the announcement, and said the proposals would be 'absolutely devastating for the local Dukinfield and Ashton community.
Jackie Lane, who is Lab Cllr for Dukinfield, told the M.E.N: "I am in shock. There are a lot of people in Dukinfield that work there and have worked there for many years and families before them.
"It really attracts families as a place to work as well so we will get whole families working together so it’s going to have a huge impact on Dukinfield and the local economy.
"I am Dukinfield born and bred and it’s always been there. It’s going to have a really big impact. I am really upset. It is devastating for the local community."
She added: "I am a trustee at the together community and since the food service started twelve months ago we’ve gone from having three or four people to 349. It’s just going to get worse.
"I know Pilgrims also used to donate to food banks in the area which will now stop. It’s a massive circle when you think about it. I know people that work there and they will be devastated."
Pilgrim's UK said the UK pork sector "continues to face the most significant challenges in its history, with the UK sow herd having contracted by around 15% and loss-making farmers leaving the industry due to a sustained period of high production costs and lower pig prices".
It added that "at the same time, an increasing and on-going reliance in the UK on cheaper, lower welfare imports from the EU and post-pandemic recovery challenges within certain markets has negatively impacted UK production".
Rachel Baldwin, Vice President of Human Resources, Pilgrim’s UK, said: "The decision to propose the closure of our Ashton site has not been taken lightly and we have made every effort to explore alternative options.
"A key part of our work to return to growth includes ensuring we fully optimise our operational footprint and the age and location of Ashton within a densely populated area means that there is no feasible opportunity to modernise or grow the site.
"As a result, these proposals are unfortunately essential to ensure a sustainable future for our team members across the UK."
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