Staff at 2 Sisters food factories, which supply most of the UK's supermarkets, will not get the day off on Bank Holiday Monday for the Queen's funeral. Instead staff will have an extra hour for lunch and will be allowed to watch part of the funeral on screens in staff canteens, reports The Guardian.
Other major manufacturers such as Coca Cola and Cadbury agreed to give staff an extra day of holiday, pay them double time or stop production altogether on Monday, according to the union Unite.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Many companies cannot switch off their operations during bank holidays, but decent employers compensate their staff for working them.”
2 Sisters, which has operations in Devon, Gwynedd, Clwyd, the West Midlands, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Scotland, processes more than 10.4 million birds a week. Its factories account for a third of all the poultry eaten in Britain.
It also makes pies and pizzas for retailers including Aldi, Asda, Co-op, KFC, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
A 2 Sisters spokesperson told The Guardian: “As a UK-wide fresh food manufacturer, it is essential for us to have continuity of operations so we can provide affordable food during these tough times and help to feed the nation.
“As well as maintaining supply, the very short notice of this bank holiday made any contingencies to safeguard animal welfare, food safety and hygiene requirements impossible for us.
“Whenever there’s a scheduled ‘one-off’ public holiday, like the jubilee celebrations, we can plan accordingly and bank holiday leave can be offered, as we did this summer. 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.
“We recognise that some colleagues will require time off, and all managers have been asked to accommodate additional requests wherever possible.”
