Strike in Nutella factory over

Fans of Nutella can breathe again: the strike in the world’s biggest factory of the chocolate spread is over and the feared shortages will not materialise. The strike lasted for ten days as employees demanded higher wages.

Dialogue

Producer Ferrero says work has been resumed and the blockage of the terrain is cleared, meaning products can get in and go out of its largest factory again. Employees had hoped to secure better conditions and higher wages, but it seems there is no agreement just yet – the company did state however that it was looking for a calm and constructive dialogue.

Three of the four production lines had fallen silent in the factory that secures a quarter of the worldwide Nutella production, but as the chocolate paste is a non-perishable item, most supermarkets still had plenty of stock and the strike had no effect on sales. It was the second time this year the factory in Villers-Écalles (Normandy) experienced major problems: in February it was shut down, after it became apparent there was a “problem with the quality”.