by Matt Trinder

Industrial reporter

COFFEE giant Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) faces reputational damage as a “simmering, toxic managerial culture” has led to a threat to “fire and rehire” nearly 300 workers, Unite warned today.

The union said that customers needed to have confidence that the products they were buying — Tassimo, Kenco and L’OR Coffee — were produced by a firm with high ethical standards.

Unite’s members at the Ruscote Avenue site in Banbury, Oxfordshire are currently voting on whether to take industrial action in response to the Dutch-owned company issuing notice of dismissal and re-engagement for 291 employees.

This was despite JDE reporting a record 9.1 per cent growth globally in 2020 after increased coffee-drinking during lockdown.  

Unite has also learned that there were claims of assault made by site staff at the 2019 Christmas party, with the police being called to deal with “alleged intoxicated managers.”

Unite national officer for the food industry Joe Clarke said: “JDE is the dregs when it comes to employment relations.

“Unite has detected a simmering toxic culture by management, as witnessed by the assault allegations.

“We believe that the callous ‘fire and rehire’ plans are another manifestation of this culture.”

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “Fire-and-rehire is ripping through our workplaces like a disease. 

"It’s a disgraceful practice, outlawed in much of Europe — and should be here.”

A JDE UK spokesperson said the company was disappointed by the ballot for strike action and that it refuted the assault allegations.

“We can confirm that an incident took place at a staff event but the investigation [has been] closed and the company’s disciplinary processes were acted upon,” the spokesperson added.    

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to [this kind of] behaviour.”