Brent Council found 'no cause for concern' at Bakkavor's Brent premises before conditions hit national headlines

The situation at Bakkavor's factories has hit the national news after the boss was filmed threatening workers who go sick with the sack. In the video he also admits that they 'we can't social distance in there' (the factory).

The firm supplied  Tesco, Sainsbury's Marks and Spencer and Waitrose amongst others.
 
Cllr Anton Georgiou, received this account by Brent Regulatory Services, on March 30th after he had raised concerns from his Alperton residents about the situation at Bakkavor sites in Brent:

A member of my team, visited these premises - Bakkavor (2 sites) this afternoon and confirmed that the business is following GOV.UK COVID-19 guidance. Below is a summary for your information:

“Bakkavor, 40, Cumberland Avenue.

Visit carried out unannounced. Had to sign in at security and besides filling in the usual visitors guest form and additional form specific to Coronavirus. Any visitor, driver or other person wanting to enter the site has to complete this questionnaire. On arriving at the reception I had to complete the full medical questionnaire (as standards for most high-risk food manufacturers) Technical Manager on site, site manager and health and safety manager present for brief outline of unannounced visit and scope of inspection.

I choose the areas that I wanted to enter and spoke to a number of staff, again which I selected, to ensure that employees were interviewed at random and not selected by management. I asked each staff member a number of questions, specific to the complaint that employees were forced to work even when unwell, or had been in self-isolation, or had relatives in their household who had symptoms/diagnosed with COVID-19. None of the employees said they, or any other staff they knew had been forced to work when unwell.

They knew the guidelines of Bakkavor’s COVID-19 procedure broadly and said if unwell, or a member of household would be unwell to report sick and self-isolate. During my visit I found good standards of social distancing wherever possible. In the staff canteen signs were displayed on each table to ‘sit separately and keep social distance’, which seemed to be adhered to.

Bakkavor (Katsouris Fresh Food) 267, Abbeydale Road.

Similar to the above

Visit carried out unannounced. Had to sign in at security and besides filling in the usual visitors guest form and additional form specific to Coronavirus. Any visitor, driver or other person wanting to enter the site has to complete this questionnaire. Met with Technical Manager on and briefly outlined of unannounced visit and scope of inspection.

I choose the areas that I wanted to enter and spoke to a number of staff, again which I selected, to ensure that employees were interviewed at random and not selected by management. I asked each staff member a number of questions, specific to the complaint that employees were forced to work even when unwell, or had been in self-isolation, or had relatives in their household who had symptoms/diagnosed with COVID-19. None of the employees said they, or any other staff they knew had been forced to work when unwell.

Staff were aware of Bakkavor’s COVID-19 procedure broadly and said if unwell, or a member of household would be unwell to report sick and self-isolate. During my visit I found good standards of social distancing wherever possible. In the staff canteen signs were displayed on each table to ‘sit separately and keep social distance’, which seemed to be adhered to.

I did not find any cause for concern at the time of my visit. Senior Enforcement Officer

One of the premises is in London Borough of Ealing and we have alerted them regarding concerns raised here in Brent.

The 'wherever possible' qualification is open to interpretation.

In a statement on its website London GMB said:

GMB has been provided with shocking video footage, from a management briefing at Bakkavor Meals London, where workers were told  "You can't socially distance here"  and managers displayed total disregard to the statement made by the TUC Joint Council, HSE and the CBI which makes clear that Employers ​,who remain open during the current crisis, must guarantee safe working conditions and minimise the risk of workers being exposed to COVID 19.

The statement from the TUC Joint Council, HSE and CBI  warned that employers who do not comply with the latest Public Health England guidance, including by not introducing social distancing measures, face being hit with enforcement notices and potential closure.

During the briefing a Bakkavor manager tells workers they have to "Keep Tesco happy or we won’t have jobs" and he is clearly failing to accept the responsibility Bakkavor should have for its staff. The footage shows Bakkavor's essential workers being told 150 jobs had already been lost and that there could be further losses and "those who didn't bother turning up would be the first to go"

Andre Marques GMB Organiser said:

GMB London is calling for urgent action to be taken to protect the safety of workers at Bakkavor Meals, including the immediate introduction of social distancing and proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The footage seen by GMB, shows a Manager demonstrating how to put on a snood to keep their mouths covered but worryingly this is not proper PPE, as defined by the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation 2002, and also the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. Bakkavor workers were told to wash their snoods at least once a week and dry it on the radiator. This is not acceptable. 

There is absolutely no excuse for any Employer to be putting their staff at such risk and no excuse for not complying with the COVID-19 guidance.
 
GMB will not tolerate any employer bullying and threatening our Members. Bakkavor has displayed, in this video, disregard for process and disrespect for its employees. Bakkavor has now exposed that job losses will potentially be unfair dismissals and GMB will ensure any affected Members will supported and protected.
 
Bakkavor Meals London is a multi-million pound company who provide ready meals to Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S and these essential workers deserve to be treated with respect and provided with a safe working environment and proper PPE.

The GMB is calling for temporary enhanced sick pay during the crisis to ensure employees do not suffer financial hardship if they need to self-isolate.   They are calling for re-organisation of production methods, even if that slows down production, and to ensure social distancing is in place in the canteen, other common areas and exit and entry points.