Crisis averted – Nutella production has resumed once again at the French factory that produces a quarter of the world’s supply. Staff at the world’s biggest Nutella factory have removed picket lines and are back at work today after production was brought to a near standstill for more than a week in a dispute over salaries. The Villers-Ecalles plant, run by confectionery giant Ferrero, normally sends out 600,000 jars per day of the hazelnut and chocolate spread. But strikes meant ingredients were running low, with no deliveries entering the plant for a week.Activists from Workers’ Force at the factory in Normandy had barred trucks from entering or leaving the factory in protest over working conditions and pay. The strikers have called for a 4.5 per cent pay rise, as well as a 900 euro (£800) bonus, but so far they have only been offered a 0.4 per cent increase. Spokeswoman Prescillia Bourguignon said management had made ‘positive progress’ with staff, adding that more negotiations would take place. According to the union, 160 of the factory’s 350 workers took part in the walkout. It is unclear whether their demands have yet been granted.
