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| Bernard Matthews staff 'laid off' | Bernard Matthews staff 'laid off' |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Around 130 workers at a Bernard Matthews site face being laid off in the wake of the bird flu outbreak, a union has reported. | Around 130 workers at a Bernard Matthews site face being laid off in the wake of the bird flu outbreak, a union has reported. |
| The employees at Great Witchingham, near Norwich, will be stood down for 20 days from Tuesday, according to the Transport and General Workers' Union. | The employees at Great Witchingham, near Norwich, will be stood down for 20 days from Tuesday, according to the Transport and General Workers' Union. |
| The firm is preparing to lay off a total of 500 workers, the TGWU claimed. | The firm is preparing to lay off a total of 500 workers, the TGWU claimed. |
| Environment Secretary David Miliband is expected to make a Commons statement on bird flu later this afternoon. | Environment Secretary David Miliband is expected to make a Commons statement on bird flu later this afternoon. |
| A spokesman for the TGWU told the BBC that the staff were being laid off and not made redundant. | |
| He added that the crucial thing was for the company to win back the trust of consumers. | He added that the crucial thing was for the company to win back the trust of consumers. |
| Drop in sales | |
| Last week the company admitted to BBC East that at one stage sales had fallen by 40% after the bird flu outbreak. | Last week the company admitted to BBC East that at one stage sales had fallen by 40% after the bird flu outbreak. |
| The TGWU called on the government to pay compensation to the industry because of the drop in sales. | |
| It said any compensation should include payments to the staff who were being laid off. | |
| The 130 workers standing down from Tuesday will receive a one-off payment of £100 each from the company as well as some statutory payments, the TGWU said. | |
| Chris Kaufman, national officer of the TGWU, said: "Industry will need the full backing of its government as it faces a challenging period. | |
| "The government should also assist the workforce by ensuring that the benefits they are entitled to are processed without delay." | |
| The H5N1 strain of bird flu was found at a Bernard Matthews farm in Holton, Suffolk, earlier this month. | |
| It was nearly identical to a strain found in Hungary where the company has a plant which regularly supplied meat to its UK operation. |