Jacobs Douwe Egberts Banbury workers vote for deal

The terms would have affected 291 staff at JDE's plant in Banbury, Oxfordshire

Factory workers have voted in favour of a deal that removes a coffee company's proposal to "fire and rehire" staff.

Members of the Unite union who work at Jacob Douwe Egberts (JDE) in Banbury, Oxfordshire, voted overwhelmingly to accept a deal negotiated with their employer after a long-running dispute.

Unite said the removal of the plans was a "major achievement".

JDE said the firm would "look forward to working together to create a better future for the factory".

It comes after the "fire and rehire" plans came to light last year when it was revealed about 300 staff had been given notices without any consultation. They accused JDE of "strong-arm tactics".

At the time JDE said it did not have plans to reduce headcount and that the plant needed to modernise to ensure production stayed in Banbury.

Unite said its members had voted by 81% on a 93% turnout to accept the deal.

'Tough negotiations'

Following the vote, the union said the package for the Ruscote Avenue plant - which makes Kenco Tassimo and Millicano - also safeguarded pay and employment conditions, and offered compensation for shift changes.

Joe Clarke, Unite national officer for the food industry, said: "We are delighted that our members have overwhelmingly accepted this deal in a democratic ballot - the scale of the endorsement shows that Unite's stance during the dispute and in the tough negotiations reflected the wishes of the vast majority of the employees."

A JDE spokesperson said: "We are pleased that our associates have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the latest negotiated deal regarding changes to working practices at Banbury manufacturing.

"We thank our associates for their patience throughout the process and look forward to working together to create a better future for our factory in Banbury."