Allscott staff vote on deal
More than 100 workers at British Sugar's doomed Allscott factory are being balloted over a redundancy package which was initially described as "absolutely disgusting" by union officials.
Employees had been considering industrial action earlier this week after seeing leaked documents which showed the financial remuneration was substantially below their expectations.
But in an exclusive interview with the Shropshire Star, British Sugar boss Karl Carter said the differences had been ironed out and the offer was "more than generous".
He said: "There has been some concern over redundancy payments we have been offering. Essentially, there was some misunderstanding and I have been to Allscott and York this week to iron those out.
"Our offer on the table did not look as generous a package as the workers hoped, but our position was revealed before we had finalised the plan. We have always been generous and this package, which the unions have advised the workers to accept, is a very generous package."
The official statement from British Sugar reads: "British Sugar tabled a final offer to the joint negotiating committee of trade unions, the terms of which the trade unions will recommend staff at York and Allscott accept.
"Individual discussions with staff will now continue to ensure that employees fully understand the options available to them. Every effort will be made to find alternative jobs for those employees who wish to relocate to another site.
"Staff are currently being briefed on the terms of the offer. We consider that information to be a private matter between the company and our employees."
John Kirk, for the GMB union, said the new offer was a big improvement on the last one, which "absolutely disgusted" workers.
He said: "The workforce expressed their feelings to the management of British Sugar. We're recommending the offer. It's significantly better. All I can say is the company are paying no less than they've paid on previous closures."
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