OVER 300 workers at a Flintshire food factory are at risk of redundancy.

Oscar Mayer has today (Thursday, March 30) informed its staff and customers of its intention to enter into consultation with its employees over the proposed transfer of a number of products from its Flint manufacturing business (at Aber Park Industrial Estate) to its other North Wales site in Wrexham.

Should this proposal go ahead, this would ultimately result in the downsizing of the site in Flint.

Oscar Mayer, a major supplier of ready meals for supermarket chains, currently employs 330 members of the local community. The company said many of whom, if they find themselves unable to commute to Wrexham, are sadly now at risk of redundancy over the next five months.

The employee consultation period will commence in early April and will last a minimum of 45 days, after which a final decision on the future size of Oscar Mayer in Flint will be made.  

Oscar Mayer said since lockdowns were eased, it has not seen the "anticipated" return to the levels of pre-pandemic sales.

Increases in the cost of production due to unprecedented inflation, coupled with the broader cost of living crisis across the UK, have noticeably impacted demand across the ready meals market.

The company said sales have fallen short of expectations by over 10 per cent in the past few months and it sees "little sign of this changing" in the near to medium term.

"It is clear Oscar Mayer is far from alone in having to meet these challenges, but we remain resolute in our determination to minimise the disruption to our valued staff from this partial transfer of operations and jobs," a company spokesperson said.

Peter Thornton, executive chairman of Oscar Mayer, said: “Consulting our colleagues on a potential transfer of production and jobs has been a desperately difficult decision to reach.

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“Oscar Mayer fully recognises its responsibility to the local community and sincerely regrets the distress and disappointment this move may cause. This downsizing, should it occur, is no reflection on the talent and capability of our dedicated staff, who have worked exceptionally hard to help us increase efficiency, for which we remain extremely grateful.

“I only hope it’s of some reassurance that every measure will be taken to assist our colleagues in their search for meaningful alternative employment, should they find themselves unable to commute to Wrexham."

He added: “Until any decision is finalised, we are determined to continue to provide the highest standard of production to meet our valued customers’ demands.”