Glasgow biscuit factory closure plan puts nearly 500 jobs at risk

Nearly 500 jobs are at risk under plans to close the McVitie's biscuit factory in Glasgow.

McVitie's owner Pladis said the Tollcross plant would close in the second half of 2022 with production moved to other factories in the UK.

The company has blamed "excess capacity" at its plants for the move.

Unions have said the closure of the factory, which has been operating in the city for nearly 100 years, would be "devastating".

There have been concerns raised about the future of the plant, which produces Hobnobs and Rich Tea biscuits among other products, for a number of years.

Pladis said its plans to shut the historic site were subject to a "full and meaningful consultation" with its 468 employees.

'Key workers'

GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said: "This is an utterly shameful decision by Pladis - the lowest of the low after a wretched year.

"Staff have worked through the Covid pandemic because management insist they are key workers, helping this business increase its lockdown sales into billions of pounds, but instead of re-investing some of that money back into the Tollcross plant, management are rewarding them with the closure of their site within a year."

Pat McIlvogue, industrial officer for the Unite union, said: "The news that hundreds of jobs are at risk at McVitie's Tollcross factory is devastating.

"We have a duty of care to hundreds of families to work tirelessly in an effort to bring forward proposals which can keep the factory open.

"We can't allow a world-renowned Scottish brand to have no workers left in Glasgow and Scotland - closure simply isn't an option."

The factory in Glasgow produces Rich Tea biscuits as well as other McVitie's products

Glasgow East MP David Linden said: "Since 2017, I've been engaging with Pladis around the challenges they face as a business and I was genuinely encouraged to learn that things had started to turn a corner.

"Therefore, news of proposed closure comes as something of a bolt out of the blue.

"Today's news comes as a total body blow to our community."

'Difficult news'

David Murray, Pladis UK and Ireland managing director, said: "We know this news will be difficult for our colleagues at Tollcross.

"Our priority now is to provide them with the support they need during the consultation process.

"Pladis is home to some of Britain's best loved brands which have been part of the fabric of our society for nearly 200 years.

"In order to protect them for generations to come, we must take steps to address excess capacity in the UK."