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FINANCE
5th December 2017
Local Unilever and Britvic jobs still under threat
The Finance Tony Allen reports on continuing efforts to protect 350 Norwich jobs Roundup
“Britvic’s first redundancy notices could be served as early as next summer" The New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), a voluntary body organised by government formed of local authorities and businesses hosted a meeting where Mr Clark sat down with workers
and bosses from the site, local MPs Clive Lewis (Norwich South) and Chloe Smith (Norwich North) plus representatives from Norwich City and Norfolk County Council. The LEP’s chairman Doug Field reflected: “The Secretary of State was very aware of the importance and heritage of these companies to Norwich and the wider area. He has agreed to support our efforts in trying to maintain production in the local area and to support staff in this uncertain time. “We will continue to talk to both companies ahead of the end of their consultation exercises and work with all our partners to support the interests of workers and of our economy.” The Eastern Daily Press reported that three possible options to keep production of Colman’s Mustard in Norwich were presented at the meeting. They are either for Unilever to remain at the Bracondale site, move to the Norwich Airport Industrial Estate or relocate to a site at Honingham Thorpe, eight miles north-west of the current factory. Consultations by Britvic and Unilever are still ongoing, with the Business Secretary having pledged to ensure the processes are fair. If plans go ahead, Britvic’s first redundancy notices could be served
as early as next summer. Britvic’s consultation has come under particular scrutiny following investment in its other UK plants, with unions Unite and GMB writing to the firm’s independent directors calling on them to look into the process. GMB regional organiser Ivan Mercer commented: “There is a strong feeling that this process is being rushed, and that there has not been any meaningful consultation with the workforce or their Consultative Group. “[Britvic] have admitted to withholding from the Consultative Group a key report into the site operations. They have also taken more than four weeks just to share critical financial information with the Consultative Group. “Members at the factory are concerned that there are a number of conflicting answers to simple questions.” Since the plans were announced in October, there have been a variety of campaigns aimed at keeping the 350 Britvic and Unilever jobs in Norwich. MPs Ms Smith and Mr Lewis have visited the factory and attended various meetings with workers and management. In Parliament on the 20
UK manufacturing increased in November.
November, Shadow Minister Bill Esterson asked DEFRA minister George Eustice about the potential job losses in Norwich and his discussions with Britvic and Mr Clark. Mr Eustice replied: “Britvic is in the process of consulting on the proposals with elected employee representatives and, therefore, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment at this time. “We know that this is an uncertain time for Britvic workers affected by the news and we will be working with the company to ensure that employees receive appropriate support.” The EDP’s petition calling on Britvic and Unilever to maintain production in the city has now passed 11,000 signatures. The possibility of retaining at least Unilever’s local jobs provides a glimmer of hope after a tough few weeks for industry in the county which have seen plans for over 200 redundancies of BAE Systems employees at RAF Marham and almost 600 staff members of the Construction Industry Training Board, who have announced an intention to move their head office from Bircham Newton to Peterborough.
Growth in the manufacturing sector last month was at its fastest in over four years. The figures come from the purchasing Managers’ Index, and they suggest that exports were instrumental in the increase in this growth.
RBS job losses and branch closures announced.
The Royal Bank of Scotland is to close one in four in-store branches - 259 in total. They have also announced that they will cut 680 jobs as more customers make the move to online banking.
Bitcoin increasingly
The value of the digital currency Bitcoin has become very unstable of late. Its value recently surpassed $11,000, however its value has since gone down to $9,600. The fall from its peak is 16 percent. The sharp changes in value come after calls from industry specialists to be cautious about the currency.
Store closures expected from Thomas Cook.
Thomas Cook has announced plans to close 50 stores around the UK, potentially affecting up to 400 members of staff. The holiday firm has 690 stores throughout the country, but only 47 percent of its holidays were actually arranged within branches this year.
Getting into the spirit or getting out of pocket? Matt Denton Finance Writer
days of simple chocolate calendars, replaced by candles, jewellery, and alcohol. The buzz around the Christmas adverts is symptomatic of how caught up we seem to be in an consumerist culture. Generally, the most anticipated one is from John Lewis, who create short stories with the intention of gaining access to their wallets through their hearts. Other companies have followed suit, and this year Waitrose was ranked Best Christmas Ad by Metro.
Photo: Pixabay, Alexas Fotos being forced to turn to financial services to fund their Christmas. It creates undue stress at a time when people should be free from worries and pressures. When we think back to what Christmas used to be all about, our modern Christmas seems shallow and tacky in comparison. Companies have managed to commercialise the pleasure of having the family round and enjoying the festive cheer, and it’s sucked a lot of the joy out of the festive season. Adverts are full of
shots of presents under the tree, extravagant Christmas dinners and flowing drinks. This creates an image of Christmas that a lot of people struggle to live up to. You just have to look at one of the most controversial Christmas items for sale this year. Zoella, a prominent British YouTube star popular among young girls, has released an advent calendar for an eye watering price of £50. She’s not alone either in releasing luxury advent calendars – gone are the
“But is it all getting too much? For some families, the answer is yes"
Australian brand Billabong receives $150m takeover bid.
The struggling surfwear company received the offer from rival brand Quiksilver after suffering a $58m loss this year, and other significant and persistant losses over the last five years.
Google declines to disclose pay records in gender discrimination case.
The internet search engine giant refused a legal request to give information on how it pays its workers in a class-action gender discrimination lawsuit. Despite having previously said that there is no gender pay-gap amongst its employees, the company refuses to offer evidence to demonstrate whether its workers are paid equally. The judge is still to decide whether Google should comply with the legal request.
Jodie Bailey
It’s a great shame that we have lost the true sight of the festive period. The usual behaviour of companies can be seen again as they monopolise on the festive spirit. Let’s hope we don’t lose sight of what Christmas is all about; family, love, and a Boxing Day hangover.
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Christmas is upon us yet again. The TV is overrun with Christmas ads, the highstreets are awash with fairy lights, and Bublé is back on the radio. If you head to the local shopping centre, you’ll be sure to find swathes of festive shoppers, buying up this year’s ‘must have’ toys and tech. But is it all getting too much? For some families, the answer is yes. The cost of your average Christmas is now an estimated £800 according to the charity Money Advice Trust, which is becoming too much for the poorest in our society. Expectations for what a perfect family Christmas should be, however, are getting more outlandish every year. There are a number of businesses that offer financial budgeting services for families who wish to spread the cost of Christmas over the year. Park is the biggest of these companies. They offer customers vouchers for high-street shops that can be paid for over a year. The cost of these plans range from £25 to £60 per month, a substantial expenditure for a lot of families. They claim that when Christmas comes you can ‘indulge yourself in a massive guilt free shopping spree’. It feels wrong that families are
currency unstable.
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Business Secretary Greg Clark has promised to contact bosses of Britvic and Unilever, who are considering leaving their Norwich factory and moving over 350 jobs out of the city. Britvic, manufacturers of Robinson’s Squash and Fruit Shoot, were first to announce plans to depart the city at the beginning of October with Unilever, who make the iconic Norfolk brand Colman’s Mustard, soon announcing a consultation over their future operations in the shared factory.