THE 230 workers at the Nestle factory have started planning their future following the news their jobs are on the line.

The company announced last week that it would be closing the plant in North Hyde Gardens, Hayes, and moving its coffee production to Derbyshire.

The closure is expected to be phased, with the first workers leaving in 2013, and the factory to shut its doors for good by the end of 2014.

The statutory 90-day consultation period for employees has already started, and workers attended their first meeting on Monday to start negotiating severance packages and job opportunities at the new facility.

John Bond is a Nestle employee of 22 years and a senior steward of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) which represents more than half of the workers at the factory.

He told the Gazette: “Nestle has said there are jobs up in Tutbury, but what kind of jobs are there and will our pay be affected? Our salaries are London-weighted, so we have to take this into consideration.

“We have flexible shift patterns at the moment so this might change, and the terms and conditions will also change. These are the kinds of things we need to ask questions about.

“Nestle has been quite good in offering jobs to people in Hayes who want them, but it’s not all rosy.

“Many people can’t move – some have to care for older relatives, and one of our members took out a mortgage on a £200,000 house just a few weeks ago, so he is inconsolable.

“A lot of the workers have been here for many years and are near retirement. It’s the younger men and women and their families who we particularly need to negotiate for.”

Nestle has said it will help workers wanting to take up roles at the Tutbury plant with their relocation costs, and train them for new roles.

Mr Bond added: “[USDAW’s] job is to get our views across, and get the best deal we can for our members. The next 90 days is critical.

“We lost chocolate to York in the late 90s, and 200 employees went then.

“Premium coffee is all that has been keeping us here – two thirds of the factory has been mothballed and is out of use, so this has been on the cards for some time.

“It’s still a shock though.”