STEWART PATERSON

Political Correspondent

Workers at the McVitie’s biscuit factory in Tollcross have accused the owners of running down the factory and fear it could close.

Yesterday the Evening Times revealed how union leaders had challenged the owners Pladis to outline their investment vision for the plant which employs hundreds of people.

Now sources at the factory have listed a catalogue of concerns from staff sackings to leaking roofs and equipment being removed to other sites.

The GMB union wrote to factory general manager to seek assurances over investment.

Pladis said it has invested £5m in recent years on production and improvements.

Workers at the site however fear they operation is being deliberately run down.

One source said the big concern is the loss of products and contracts.

The evening Times has been told that several products the factory produced for Marks & Spencer have been lost as well as other McVitie’s lines.

The source said: “There is a huge empty space in the production hall. They lost the M&S mallows and mini digestives and Taxi products there is now only two production lines running at at a time out of nine lines.

“There is not enough production to keep all the staff.”

A source said workers were afraid for their jobs claiming there has been several people paid off at the plant and it was a common occurrence for absenteeism and sickness and that people were very worried they could lose their job if they are ill.

There are concerns that the factory is in overall poor condition and needs upgrading

The Evening Times was told: “ When it rains there’s water getting in and it is shutting down lines.

“There is not enough staff to clean them and get them back up and running.”

Equipment is said to have been removed from the Tollcross site and moved to Carlisle when a new product failed and another lucrative product was taken away from the Glasgow workforce.

Staff sources said the factory has gone from a good workplace to one with unacceptable conditions, pay and pension cuts making it less and less attractive.

However it still provides hundreds of people with work in an unemployment blackspot and one said “I would be devastating to the east end if if it shuts down.”

Pladis disputed claims that production had been shifted to other sites.

A spokeswoman said: “No production lines have been moved from Tollcross.”

However no-one was available to provide comment on claims about the condition of the factory.