Staff at 2 Sisters, a food producer that supplies the UK’s biggest supermarkets, have accused the company of breaking its promise of an extended break to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, apparently instead rewarding them with a “disgusting” sausage meat bap.
The company, which is based in West Bromwich, said last week that staff would be given two hours to watch the proceedings, after it faced criticism for refusing them extra pay or a day off in lieu for working during the funeral, which had been declared a bank holiday.
But factory workers claimed this did not happen and a free breakfast they were offered, apparently as part of a reward for working that day, was “like eating cardboard”.
“We didn’t get that two-hour break,” claimed one staff member, who works on a chicken breast production line at the company’s Sandycroft factory in north Wales. “It was just a normal day.”
“The funeral was on [a canteen television] when we went for break but we only get 30 minutes and you have to go down after 25 because you have to be back on the line,” they added.
A second staff member alleged the two-hour break didn’t happen and claimed shifts resumed after the usual time period.
It is understood that 2 Sisters opted for staggered breaks at some factories, rather than one long two-hour break, with employees supposedly receiving more break time overall during the day.
However, one staff member at Sandycroft claimed they received no extra break time at all.
2 Sisters had previously said: “Those working Monday will be entitled to an extended two-hour break, free breakfast and lunch, and the funeral can be watched on screens in canteens.”
The company is best known for its chicken factories, which process more than 10.4m birds a week in the UK and Europe and account for about a third of the poultry eaten in Britain each day.
The company, owned by Midlands “chicken king” Ranjit Singh Boparan, also makes ready-made products such as pies and pizzas, supplying customers including Aldi, Asda, Co-op, KFC, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
Bev Clarkson, a national officer for the Unite union, criticised the company for its stance over the funeral.
“These revelations add insult to injury,” said Clarkson. “Not only have 2 Sisters forced workers to work on a bank holiday without additional pay or additional time off but it now appears that the minimal extra provisions promised to sugar the pill failed to materialise. All workers deserve to be treated fairly and decently.”
A 2 Sisters spokesperson said: “All colleagues at our 15 locations throughout the UK were given the opportunity to pay their respects on the day of the Queen’s funeral, which included extended breaks, free food and a chance to watch the funeral on TV.”
