Green MEP urges government to apply for EU funds to help Twinings’ workers

14 April 2011 – Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for Hampshire and the South East has written to the Employment Minister, Chris Grayling MP, urging the government to apply for EU funds to help redundant workers at Andover’s Twinings tea factory.

Keith Taylor is asking the government to apply for money from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which exists to support workers who lose their jobs as a result of changing global trade patterns. The fund is designed to help those made redundant find other employment as quickly as possible, for example through re-training. An application for this money can only be made by the UK government.

Keith has also written to the MP for North West Hampshire, Sir George Young, urging him to put pressure on the UK government to apply for the EU funds. Nearly 400 workers from Andover and North Shields have been, or will be, made redundant as a result of the relocation of Twinings’ tea production to Poland and China.

Keith said: “I sincerely hope that our government will apply for these EU funds so that the workers affected by this terrible situation can be helped to find other employment. I am asking the local MP, Sir George Young and the government’s Employment Minister, Chris Grayling, to apply for this funding which will help Twinings workers re-train and gain new jobs in what is a very tough job market. I think this is the least the EU can do to compensate in some small way for their role in helping Twinings relocate its production from Andover to Poland. I really hope that Mr Grayling will act quickly to help thos made redundant at Twinings’ production plant in Andover.”

Keith Taylor recently met with the EU Commissioner for Employment, Mr László Andor, to discuss the situation at Twinings. Commissioner Andor explained that he would welcome an application from the UK government for money from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to help the workers affected.

Keith’s letter to the Employment Minister, Chris Grayling, was also signed by the South East’s Labour MEP, Peter Skinner, and the North East’s Labour MEP, Stephen Hughes.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

  • Keith is also challenging the decision made by the EU Commission to approve a €12 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to Twinings’ Polish subsidiary company which will help fund a new €45m (£37.7m) Twinings factory in Poland.
  • Twinings is closing its factory in North Shields and cutting jobs at its remaining UK tea production facilities in Andover, Hampshire. Written questions from Keith Taylor about this issue were submitted to the European Commission on 22 September 2010 – http://bit.ly/iiqtc3 and 3 December 2010 – http://bit.ly/i0xR78.
  • On Tuesday 15 March 2011 Keith met the EU Commissioner for Employment, Mr László Andor to voice his view that EU funding had been unfairly given to Twinings to relocate. He also discussed an application for funding to help workers. This meeting was attended by the South East’s Labour MEP, Peter Skinner, and the North East’s Labour MEP, Stephen Hughes, and a representative from the Usdaw union.