Plan B Forum

Fury has erupted after it emerged staff who will lose their jobs at a tea firm will have to train the foreign workers who will take their place.

Twinings bosses announced in November they would be closing its North Shields factory with the loss of 263 jobs.

Company bosses said all production would be transferred to Poland or China by September 2011 as part of an efficiency drive.

Now staff at the plant have been told Polish workers will travel to Tyneside to be trained by them.


One appalled worker said it was, 'Rubbing salt in the wound' after being told they were losing their jobs.

After the plant closure was announced 22 MPs signed a Commons motion condemning the move. But the campaign was not successful.

Meanwhile almost 4,000 people have joined a Facebook group to save the North Shields plant.

According to North Shields workers, Twinings said at the time that it would offer volunteers the chance to extend their contract with the company by up to six months by going over to Poland to help with training.

But now it has also decided to bring staff to Tyneside to be trained, starting next week. One worker, who did not want to be named, said:

'It’s rubbing salt in the wound because they are taking our jobs yet we have to train them. “There’s a lot of animosity here towards them, people are very angry.'

Usdaw union rep Jayne Shotton, said: 'The workers at Twinings had resigned themselves to the fact their jobs were going to Poland.

'But I think to bring Polish workers over here and expect them to be trained by Twinings workers who are losing their jobs is like rubbing their noses in it.

'Twinings have never consulted with us on this and I will certainly be talking to them about it. Workers are extremely angry and I can fully understand their resentment.'

A spokeswoman for Twinings said there would be two waves of employees from Poland visiting North Shields for three weeks at a time.

She said: 'Next week Twinings will be welcoming a handful of new employees from Poland to the North Shields site. They will be visiting to familiarise themselves with the tea-making process and receive training.

'While we recognise that this has been a very difficult time for our employees at North Shields and appreciate that some people would prefer not to participate, many employees are willing to help carry out this training.

'A significant number of our employees have also expressed interest in the opportunity to train Polish employees at the new site in Poland.

'We will be making further details available to staff about this initiative in the coming weeks.'

Twinings was founded in 1706 and claims to be one of the first companies to introduce tea drinking to the English.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z0yhemMUZP

rubato wrote:Putting tea in little bags and stapling them shut is such good work? It takes 'training' to do that?

Give me a break.

Get over it. A small number of very low-value jobs are being transferred to a different place.



yrs,
rubato

Jarlaxle wrote:How many of the new employees will be trained to do their jobs WRONG, I wonder?

Gob wrote:

Jarlaxle wrote:How many of the new employees will be trained to do their jobs WRONG, I wonder?

Now that's a sweet idea, what do they have to lose?

Get over it. A small number of very low-value jobs are being transferred to a different place.

Guinevere wrote:Tuhere are so many excellent tea manufacturers these days they won't be missed (although I love me my Prince of Wales tea and don't know another manufacturer).

Jarlaxle wrote:How many of the new employees will be trained to do their jobs WRONG, I wonder?

tyro wrote:Actually, the British tend to shun bagged tea. ... "