Redundant Hovis workers leave Birmingham bakery

Hundreds of Hovis workers will leave a factory in Birmingham on Wednesday ahead of its full closure next month.

Premier Foods, the maker of Hovis, announced the closure of the site in Garretts Green last November after the loss of a £75m contract with the Co-op.

A total of 511 workers received redundancy letters in February. A bakery in Greenford, west London, will also close with the loss of 400 jobs.

Worker Graham Taylor said he had been part of a good workforce.

'No viable alternative'

Mr Taylor, who has worked at the factory for 13 years, said: "We're all a good workforce, we all get on with each other... a good laugh.

"There's no point crying about it, we might as well go out with our heads held high because we've not done anything wrong."

When Premier Foods firm announced the closure, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union said Premier should have fought for the contract.

However, a spokesman for the firm said it had "no viable alternative" to closing the factory after losing the contract.

The business also needed to reorganise to take into account reduced sales, he said.

The company has said it would try to help employees secure alternative employment either within the Premier Foods Group, or "by providing outplacement support".

Some workers will remain at the site before it closes completely next month.