Up to 50 new jobs look set to be created by a Pinchbeck based fruit importer and packer that is consulting with staff over the introduction of a twilight shift.
Greenyard Fresh UK told The Voice its “business has grown by 150 per cent in the past five years,” which has led to the proposed expansion.
Stella Willcox, HR director, said: “These developments demonstrate Greenyard Fresh UK’s continued commitment to employment within the local area where we currently employ 500 plus colleagues in our state of the art manufacturing and distribution facilities.”
Mrs Willcox said the jobs will initially be offered to existing staff and the remaining roles and vacancies created if existing staff transfer to the new shift will then be offered more widely. The new shift is likely to be 6pm to midnight at the firm’s Enterprise Way site.
The firm is planning to announce the outcome of a 45-day consultation on the plans to staff next week. As well as consulting over the additional proposed shift, the firm is considering changes to rest breaks, an increase on the current one-week notice period for skilled staff and adding an additional tier of skilled worker.
Mrs Willcox said: “As a business we put our team at the heart of any change we consider to ensure we balance their needs with the needs of the business where possible. For this reason we take the consultation feedback from our colleagues seriously and ensure that this is considered within any proposed changes.”
The proposed changes are driven by growth within the business and to meet customer delivery requirements, she said. The firm currently employs 544 staff at its sites in Enterprise Way and Stephenson Avenue, Pinchbeck. Of those 400 were involved in the consultation.
The majority of existing staff work 12-hour day shifts.
