TGWU: HP sauce for Britain, Union demands

Tuesday, 09, May 2006 12:00

Transport and General Workers Union negotiators are demanding an explanation from directors of the Heinz multinational for the food giant's decision to shift production of the iconic British condiment HP Sauce from Birmingham to the Netherlands, with a loss of 120 jobs.

"When Heinz took over the HP Sauce plant last year they promised there would be no shift in production," said T&G food industry leader John Jordan. "Now we see that Heinz promises are as worthless as an empty sauce bottle.

"The savage decision to close the Birmingham plant comes just weeks after the Competition Commission had cleared the takeover of HP production by Heinz from the French company Danone, which had run it since the early 1990s.

"The workers at HP Sauce in Birmingham are very bitter at this decision by Heinz. We are demanding a meeting with Heinz directors tomorrow to get a full explanation for why the company has broken its word to a loyal workforce."

FURTHER INFORMATION: JOHN JORDAN 0777 181 8642