Meat factory axed with 59 jobs lost
Premier meats,closed
A MEAT factory in Sheffield has closed for the last time, putting 59 people out of work.
Workers at Yorkshire Premier Meat Sheffield, Aston Street, Wybourn, were told to go home last night, after owners ANM Group decided to shift the operation to a site in South Kirkby, West Yorkshire.
The factory, which has been run by ANM since it bought the site in 1993, prepared beef for the ready meals market.
The company said it had ‘up to 10 vacancies’ in South Kirkby, which ‘some staff would be considered for’.
A company spokesman said: “The ANM Group can confirm, following a four-week consultation process with staff, the closure of the Yorkshire Premier Meat Sheffield plant.
“All production has ceased at the site in Aston Street and all remaining stock will be transferred to Yorkshire Premier’s other plant in South Kirkby.
“A total of 59 staff at Sheffield have been made redundant.
“Due to the level of losses being experienced by the operation, it had become unsustainable to continue in the current economic climate.”
Labour MP Paul Blomfield, whose Sheffield Central constituency includes the Aston Street site, said the closure indicated the Coalition’s Government’s failure to effectively deal with the economic crisis.
He said: “Every job loss is devastating for the worker, their family and a blow to the local economy.
“Sadly, this reflects the Government’s failure to develop policies to grow the economy and provide the jobs that people need.”
At the factory last night, security guard Kevin Fo said staff had been told about the closure yesterday morning, after a month-long consultation.
He said: “Some of them had been here 22 years, so people weren’t happy about it, but some were getting big redundancies so morale hasn’t been that low.”
He said one member of staff had been kept on to look after the factory until ANM manages to sell the site.
Alan Craig, ANM Group chief executive, paid tribute to the service of the staff and the professionalism shown during the consultation.
He said: “I would like to thank all the staff for their efforts during what has been a very difficult period for everyone.
“The closure is following their agreement.”
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Friday 25 May 2012
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