Unite hits out over Walstead's Southernprint acquisition

Unite hits out over Walstead's Southernprint acquisition

Unite has reacted with anger over Wyndeham Press Group owner Walstead Investment's purchase of the giant magazine printers Southernprint.

The deal, which was signed on Monday creates a £100m print group, but Unite is fearful of similar job cuts and changes to terms and conditions that were made at Wyndeham following its acquisition by Walstead in December.

"Of all the groups in all the world, Wyndeham is the last one that we would have wanted to take on a company like Southernprint," said Unite national officer Steve Sibbald.

"It has slashed and burned through the whole [Wyndeham] group since it was taken over by Walstead, with wage cuts and increases in hours, all the worst possible conditions, backed by the threat of unemployment."

"Our Wyndeham members, are not going to be happy that a company that cried poverty has bought another firm. That's going to go down like a lead balloon," added Sibbald.

"However our primary concern now is as the company is looking to consolidate, will they close down Southernprint or perhaps one of the other Wyndeham sites? I can't see why they would keep all the sites going if there's too much capacity in the market."