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Coronavirus: Staff in Greencore outbreak 'using food banks'

BBC Greencore, NorthamptonBBC
Greencore workers who have tested positive are self-isolating

Staff self-isolating after an outbreak of Covid-19 at a sandwich factory are having to use food banks and struggling with rent, a union has claimed.

Many of the almost 300 workers who tested positive at M&S supplier Greencore in Northampton are members of The Bakers' Union.

Union regional officer George Attwall said its members "are now in hardship".

Greencore said it will give "weekly paid colleagues" a £400 bonus "in recognition of the financial impact".

The union entered a grievance with the company on Tuesday.

In it, Mr Attwall and branch secretary Nicolar Macari said "only SSP [statutory sick pay] is being paid to the vast majority of the workforce for Covid-19 related absences".

It said "members are being evicted as a result of not being able to pay rent, others were forced to use food banks for the first time in their lives".

The union claims it is "unfair" workers only get statutory sick pay of £95.85 per week while managers are "enjoying full company sick pay".

Lorry
Greencore produces sandwiches for M&S at its factory in Northampton

In a statement, Greencore said workers who have to self-isolate will be paid "in line with the terms of their contract," ranging from statutory sick pay to full pay.

"In recognition of the financial impact that those on statutory sick pay are facing, we have decided to give all weekly paid colleagues at the site an additional payment of £400," it added.

This bonus was due to be paid based on attendance at the end of year.

The company also said all frontline staff that are paid weekly have had an extra £260 "to recognise their huge contribution while lockdown was in place".

The factory's outbreak, which began at the end of July, has placed Northampton at the top of a table recording rates of new cases across England, with nearly 125 in every 100,000 residents.

Workers who tested negative for Covid-19 at the company are to be re-tested.

Public Health Northamptonshire originally said 299 workers at the factory had tested positive, but later revised the number down to 287.

It has also said it will set up coronavirus testing stations at "large business parks" in the wake of the outbreak.