Cepac has responded to a press release issued by Unite, dated 5th July, regarding the current negotiations relating to pay with the workforce at Cepac’s Darlington facility.

Steve Moss, Group Managing Director, described the latest Unite press release as once again being incorrect, unhelpful and misleading. Moss said,

“The Unite press release uses some unfortunate language. The Company has always sought to negotiate with employees and representatives in a constructive and open manner. Our Darlington site continues to face challenging trading conditions and financial losses, which has all been shared with employees and their representatives. The need for additional flexibility, including a change in the working week for a proportion of employees, is to secure the future of the business. This is accompanied by a realistic pay award ranging from 8% to 17.5%, dependent upon roles. Unfortunately, Unite seem unprepared to enter constructive discussions, which is regrettable. Any form of industrial action can only damage our business further still and place future growth in a precarious position.”

Moss explained that the focus now was to ensure customers were kept supplied and reassured during this period.

“Our focus is upon our customers and many of our employees share our desire to keep our customers supplied and work constructively together to do that. We can only continue to urge Unite to engage in this matter. I cannot emphasise enough the serious consequences of industrial action for our business and all employees,” concluded Moss.

ENDS