LISTEN: Concerns raised over plans to close part of Moy Park factory in Ballymena

By Q Radio News

Moy Park is to temporarily halt some production at one of its Northern Ireland factories.

The company's blamed "challenging market conditions" for the decision.

The site will cease processing of live birds at the Ballymena plant which will have a knock-on effect on its nearby hatchery. 

Around 1,700 people are employed at the site.

Moy Park say no jobs will be lost, however Sean McKeever from Unite the Union says employees aren't so sure:

Sean McKeever, Unite Regional Officer representing the bulk of Moy Park’s workforce in Northern Ireland questioned the temporary nature of the shutdown of the kill-line and hatchery in Ballymena and the threat it posed to up to the livelihoods of four hundred workers in Ballymena.

“Unite is highly concerned at this news of a temporary closure of the ‘kill-line’ at Ballymena.

Our members on the shop-floor are reporting that they have been told that this will result in up to four hundred job losses although the company are telling the media that there will be no job losses and that redundancies can be avoided through redeployment elsewhere.

While Unite does not hold recognition rights for this workforce, Unite is the only trade union on the ground in North Antrim and we do not accept the need or case for any job losses in Ballymena or anywhere else in Northern Ireland.

“Moy Park’s latest annual pre-tax profits were just short of £60 million – an enormous increase of 67 percent on the year previously. Current owners, Pilgrim’s Pride, declared net earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $798 million in 2018.

This is not a company that needs to squeeze its workforce – this is a company which is attacking workers’ pay and conditions to maximise profits for their corporate shareholders.

A spokesperson for Moy Park said: "The company is proposing to temporarily cease processing livebirds at Ballymena due to challenging market conditions, with the view that we will re-open the line in January 2020.

"In line with this it is proposed the North Antrim Hatchery will temporarily cease hatching until November 2019.

We will continue to cut, further process and pack at Ballymena, including retail production of our BBQ products.

“We are currently working with our colleagues and their representatives doing our utmost to minimise the impact of this proposal on our excellent workforce, including offering temporary transfers to other shifts and roles.

“We will also be working closely with our farming partners throughout the process to manage this temporary reduction in poultry requirement.”