Bread Back for Christmas - Baking Strike Over

Auckland, 13 December 2019 – George Weston Foods has confirmed that it has reached an agreement with members of the Northern Collective Union, and that the union has withdrawn its strike notice.

With a full complement of bakers now back working in George Weston’s bakeries, ovens are full, trucks laden and bread is being delivered to supermarkets and other retail outlets.

“We’ve now resolved the only two remaining issues,” says Mark Bosomworth, General Manager Baking Division, George Weston Foods (NZ) Limited. “We have agreed to a pathway to a living wage during the term of the agreement and to penalty rates for staff who are required to perform hours above a normal working week.

“Full supply is back in store today, and we look forward to continuing to meet demand during the Christmas period to keep our customers and their shoppers happy.”

The company has thanked staff for the efforts they made to maintain supply during the strike.

“Our people know how important bread is to families and they did an excellent job keeping the business running during this time, lessening supply issues where possible,” says Mark.

To make up for any inconvenience George Weston has made an offer to Tip Top, Ploughmans and Burgen bread lovers.

“We sincerely apologise if you couldn’t find your favourite bread over the last two weeks,” says Mark. “If you share your story about how you love our brands via our Facebook pages, we will give to the first 50,000 people a voucher for a free loaf of Tip Top, Ploughmans or Burgen bread, now that all are in full supply. It’s our Christmas gift to you.”

Full T&C’s are available via our Tip Top, Ploughmans and Facebook pages.

About George Weston Foods

George Weston Foods is one of New Zealand’s largest manufacturers of bread and bakery products. Launched in the early 1950s, following the purchase of Stormont’s Bakery in Kingsland, the company today produces over 1.2 million loaves of bread, buns, rolls, muffins, and crumpets each week under the Tip Top, Bürgen, Ploughman’s, Big Ben, Golden and Bazaar. George Weston Foods is part of Associated British Foods plc (ABF), an international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £13.3bn and over 113,000 employees in 47 countries.

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