CHRISTMAS is becoming “non-existent” for food workers, members of bakers’ union BFAWU lamented yesterday.

Delegates called for factories and supermarkets to shut down for at least two days at Christmas to “allow their employees some quality time with their friends and families.”

A motion overwhelmingly carried at the conference said time off had been “slowly eradicated” with production “ceasing late on Christmas Eve and re-starting as early as 4am on Boxing Day, in order to satisfy supermarkets.”

Manchester delegate Duncan Boulton said: “I’m sick of hearing about the needs of the business. What about the needs of the individual at Christmas and New Year?”