Oscar Mayer

Oscar Mayer announced on 22 October 2020 that it was entering into collective consultation with its employees with a view to ending production at its Chard sites. This consultation process began by inviting employees to select employee representatives and formal engagement with these representatives commenced on 10 November 2020. Oscar Mayer's Board reviewed five alternative proposals put forward by employee representatives, in an attempt to avoid, reduce, or mitigate the potential redundancies. As a result, the company has agreed one proposal to explore a range of flexible options with individuals whose workload will be unaffected by the closure of Chard but are currently based at Chard. These options will be assessed through the individual consultation process. Unfortunately, the other four proposals have been found not to be viable alternatives. Oscar Mayer has been at the forefront of own brand packaged ready meals in the UK since 1985 and is a long-standing partner to many leading UK supermarket chains. The three sites in Chard have been part of the Oscar Mayer Group since its origin and collectively are the smallest of Oscar Mayer's manufacturing units. Oscar Mayer continues to employ over 2,000 people at its other sites in the UK, whose jobs are unaffected by this announcement.