JCB staff get Christmas bonus as firm warns of tough times ahead

JCB said the bonuses were for a "tremendous team effort" in 2021

More than 6,000 staff at manufacturing giant JCB are each to receive a £750 Christmas bonus.

But the firm, based in Rocester, Staffordshire, has warned it faces "severe challenges" due to supply chain problems, because of the pandemic.

Hundreds of staff have been taken on by the digger maker this year after redundancies in 2020.

Lord Bamford thanked his staff and said demand for the firm's machines was "very strong".

The bonus will go to workers at JCB's 11 factories in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham, and includes agency staff with more than 12 months in their role.

The reward is for a "tremendous team effort", chief executive Graeme Macdonald said, but he also warned the firm was expecting further problems in 2022, partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We are still facing severe challenges caused by unprecedented supply chain disruption which is impacting on production, and we expect this to continue for the first six months of next year," he said.