Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Bakers strike after being given one week’s notice
STAFF at an artisan Bristol bakery swapped pastries for placards as they went on strike for a second day yesterday in protest at the way the owners are handling redundancies.
All nine staff at the Assembly Bakery in the Old Market area of Bristol were told on Wednesday they were being given only one week’s notice of redundancy - and since then have been contacted individually to be told whether they were being taken back on again.
Five of the nine are being retained, but the jobs of four people are being lost. But all nine staff at the bakery have walked out in protest and yesterday set up a picket line to publicise their grievances.
The Assembly Bakery markets itself as a “Bristol-based bakery with an ethical stance”, and has opened in Wapping Wharf as well as the longstanding bakery in West Street, Old
Market. Its owners are also connected to Number 1 Harbourside, the Assembly pub next door and The Canteen in Stokes Croft.
After the meeting with staff on Wednesday, the staff immediately went on strike, didn’t turn up for work on Thursday and then organised a picket line from 7.30am yesterday.
People arriving for their bread were informed the bakery had closed for the day and that the workers were on strike, as drivers passing along West Street into Old Market sounded their horns in support. A group of supporters from other unions and campaigners also arrived to support the striking bakery and retail staff.
“We had an emergency meeting called on Wednesday,” said one of the retail staff, who gave his name as
Alex, 29. “Obviously there were rumours beforehand but suddenly they said that everyone was getting just one week’s notice of redundancy, and then they began to contact individuals about whether they would be taken back on or actually laid off.”
Alex, who said he had worked at the Assembly Bakery for three years, was one told he was being laid off, but he said those whose jobs had been restored were also part of the strike.
“Everyone has been putting their lives into this bakery, and we had these two shareholders come along, who we’ve never even met before, giving all this rhetoric about how they value us and how important we all were but then they do this - it all felt hollow,” he said.
Fin, aged 30, is a baker at Assembly and one who has been told he’s being kept on, despite being given a
week’s notice on Wednesday.
“They are getting rid of some people and in a completely unfair way. What are they going to do to me next time if this is the way they treat other members of staff now?” he said.
A spokesperson for Assembly Bakery defended the decision to make everyone redundant and then rehire just over half the staff.
“We have unfortunately had to make the extremely difficult decision to reduce the size of the team as the business is struggling to cope with the unprecedented market conditions,” he said. “We have not been able to recruit enough managers and bakers to keep a bigger operation going. We are hoping to expand again in the future and would be happy to offer jobs back to any staff affected as soon as we are able to. We have given the correct notice to four employees in line with their contracts and holiday entitlement.”