6 December 2010 – The Green Party’s Euro-MP for Hampshire and South-East England today vowed to keep up the pressure on the European Commission over its decision to fund a new Twinings factory in Poland (1). The British company plans to cut jobs at its Andover factory and close its factory in North Shields (2).

Keith Taylor MEP, a member of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee has tabled a further Written Question to the Commission (3), asking them to offer financial help to the 392 workers facing redundancy. The question also formally asks the Commission to look again at the legality of the decision to fund Twinings to move some of its production process from the UK to Poland.

A debate at the Regional Development Committee which was planned last week, 30 November, was shelved after representations by the right wing European People’s Party.

The Green Euro-MP said: “Twinings haven’t yet received this EU funding and I am calling on them not to draw down the money. There is a strong moral case for Twinings, a well regarded British company, not to use taxpayers’ money to pay for the relocation of British jobs. They have an excellent reputation and should seek to preserve it.”

“I strongly support the 392 workers in Andover and North Shields, who are facing redundancy and I have asked the EU Commission to consider granting them money for retraining from the EU Globalisation Adjustment Fund.”

Keith concluded: “Sadly this is just one of a number of cases in which the EU’s €347billion five year European Regional Development Fund money may have been misapplied. I am meeting with colleagues next week to discuss these matters and will be calling for democratically elected MEPs to have increased powers of independent parliamentary scrutiny over these grant applications. The European Regional Development Fund money should be used for regeneration and not to support hugely profitable private multinational companies.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

(1) On 4 October the EU approved a €12 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to Twinings’ Polish subsidiary company which is wholly owned by Associated British Foods (ABF). The requirements for ERDF funds to be used for regeneration were sidestepped by ABF, which channeled the application through the newly established Twinings Polish subsidiary, escaping the full rigour of the grant process.

(2) On 2 November 2009, Twinings announced the planned closure of its North Shields plant with the loss of 263 jobs and cuts at its Andover facility with 129 proposed job losses. Despite Twinings’ parent company, Associated British Foods, remaining hugely profitable, (£600 million yearly profit) they have decided to close the North Shields factory and open a factory in Poland, a move that will enable Twinings, and its parent company Associated British Foods (ABF), to exploit cheap labour abroad at the expense of its workforce in the UK.

(3) http://www.keithtaylormep.org.uk/2010/11/23/trouble-brewing-for-twinings/