UB axes 85 jobs to make Tollcross site more competitive

Two major suppliers have confirmed redundancies at major UK plants.

United Biscuits confirmed this week it was cutting 85 jobs at its McVitie's factory in Glasgow. The cuts at its Tollcross site, which makes Hobnobs and Go Ahead! bars, were part of plans to restructure operations. It said it was reinvesting in the site to improve infrastructure, staff facilities, new products and production to ensure it could perform in a "highly competitive marketplace".

"These proposals will help Tollcross ensure it is well placed to win new business," said a spokeswoman. "It is proposed to avoid compulsory redundancy by accepting voluntary redundancies."

Meanwhile, Young's Seafood has avoided making any compulsory redundancies at its Humberstone Road site in Grimsby following a consultation launched last month.

Although 84 jobs had originally been earmarked to go at the site, Young's Seafood said it had transferred 28 people to new roles at its other Grimsby facilities, while 47 people had taken voluntary redundancy. The number of jobs expected to go had also been reduced because of a "positive upturn in production volume over recent weeks" and a "reconfiguration of production lines", a spokeswoman said.

The consultation came as Sainsbury's ditched Young's as a supplier on several lines. Earlier this month, Young's, The Seafood Company, and Findus UK all subsidiaries of Findus Group were renamed Young's Seafood Ltd.