The Unite union said companies including Cadbury and Coca-Cola had agreed to give staff an extra day off, pay them double time or stop production altogether on Monday. But it said 2 Sisters, whose chicken factories were at the center of a food hygiene scandal in 2017, had refused to make such compensations on the national bank holiday to mark the service. The company, which is owned by West Midlands ‘chicken king’ Ranjit Boparan, told Unite that “business will remain open as usual and no additional annual leave has been allocated”. The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Many companies cannot shut down their operations during public holidays, but decent employers compensate their staff for their work.” A 2 Sisters spokesman said staff working on Monday would receive an extended two-hour break, free breakfast and lunch and would be able to watch the funeral on screens in its canteens. The West Bromwich-based company is best known for its chicken factories, which process more than 10.4 million birds a week in the UK and Europe and account for around a third of the poultry consumed in Britain every day. It also produces ready-to-eat products such as pies and pizzas, supplying customers such as Aldi, Asda, Co-op, KFC, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. The company came under intense scrutiny in 2017 after the Guardian and ITV found it falsified food safety records in an investigation that led to “significant changes” to its operations. Unite pointed to the company’s heavy losses, both before and after the scandal, saying they reflected conditions for workers in its factories. Accounts for the group show its losses widened from £34m to £95.5m in the year to July 2021, despite revenue rising 10% to £1.4bn. The company blamed factors such as difficulty attracting and retaining staff as a result of Covid-19 and Brexit. Unite suggested that 2 Sisters would be better able to repair its finances if it offered better pay and better conditions for staff. Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “The company, where pay and conditions are dire, says it is working to attract and retain staff to reverse losses,” the union said. “If that’s the case, he needs to offer better pay and better contracts. A Bank Holiday Monday premium would be a start.” A spokesperson for 2 Sisters said: “As a UK-wide producer of fresh food, it is essential for us to have business continuity so that we can provide affordable food in these challenging times and help feed the nation. “Apart from maintaining supply, the very short notice of this bank holiday made it impossible for us to have any contingencies to ensure animal welfare, food safety and hygiene requirements. “Whenever there is a ‘one-off’ public holiday scheduled, such as the Jubilee celebrations, we can plan accordingly and offer bank holiday leave, as we did this summer. Those working on Monday will be entitled to an extended two-hour break, free breakfast and lunch, while the funeral can be watched on canteen screens. “We recognize that some colleagues will need time off and all managers have asked to accommodate additional requests where possible.”
