Northumberland Foods: your experience
A long time employee of Northumberland Foods gave The Ambler his view on the main problems the company had faced in recent times.
“Back when it was Jus Roll, Grand Met took over and invested a lot of money. A lot of what you see in the factory now was initially put in by them; fireproof ceilngs, walls, special flooring etc.”
But he claimed that a lack of investment since then caused the factory day to day running problems.
“Everyone knows about our order books. But we need investment. Repairs to equipment has been the main problem. Part of the reason we had to work weekends was because of breakdowns during the week, and because of extra orders. The management were keeping it afloat but there was no real investment. On numerous occasions the potatoes actually ran out.”
Another worker told The Ambler about her circumstances:
“Five members of our family – me, my husband, two of his brothers and one sister-in-law — have all been made redundant. My husband worked there for 18 years and built his career there, beginning as a process operator and ending as the production planner. The impact on our family has been tremendous, but we are all supporting each other and getting through this tough time. One of my brothers-in-law has already found a new job and I’ve been attending some interviews, as well. Hopefully the community can stand together and try to help each other out, as it seems that all of Amble is going through this together.”
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