Dinner staff at five Blackpool schools struck by 20% wage cuts despite heartfelt pleas

School caterer Dolce - which provides meals to Roseacre, Hawes Side, Norbreck, Thames and Moor Park primary schools – has cut the hours and pay of hundreds of kitchen staff in schools throughout the region.

On Monday, the company informed staff that their hours and pay would be cut by 20 per cent with immediate effect, which UNISON North West says will leave some people more than £300 worse off per month. UNISON say the message was delivered by text, though Dolce denies this.

UNISON schools organiser Keith Bradley said: “The entire country is in awe of the key workers who are putting themselves at risk to keep our schools running during this second period of lockdown. The entire country it seems, apart from the bosses of disgraceful Dolce, who have hit new lows by informing their workforce of the imposition of a pay cut via text message.

“At a time when Marcus Rashford MBE is leading the way in our region by campaigning to provide free school meals in the holidays, the very company providing those meals is set to plunge its own low-paid, majority women workforce into poverty with just over a month until Christmas.

“We are outraged by Dolce’s despicable behaviour and we are seeking legal advice- we will support these key workers to fight this decision all the way.”

Dolce said the cuts came as a result of falling profits amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff were told their pay may be cut last month and wrote to head teachers asking for their support.

DOLCE SAID:

"Due to a sporadic decrease of around 20 per cent nationally in the uptake of school dinners following the return to school in September we have avoided redundancies by temporarily reducing the hours of some staff. This was done professionally by a securely delivered letter following appropriate consultation.

"We are working cooperatively with schools, staff and parents to get children to enjoy our tasty school dinners. As we return to normality, we will remove these temporary reductions."