Cadbury workers London lobby
Cadbury
workers brought their fight for a future to Westminster
Cadbury workers headed for London to urge government -
help us save UK jobs!
On Tuesday, February 2nd, as Cadbury shareholders began to vote
on Kraft's revised bid for the 200-year old chocolate maker,
workers gathered in central London to ask the government and MPs to
do all they can to protect jobs and investment at the UK sites.
They
were also supporting Unite’s campaign to urgently amend takeover
regulations so that the loss of a great UK manufacturer can never
happen again.
Despite repeated approaches to the US conglomerate by Unite, the
workers' union, as it strives to pin the company down on its plans
for Cadbury, Kraft has declined to provide details of its plans and
to give the workforce confidence that they will not be facing the
axe.
That is why Unite brought workers to the capital, to ask that
government supports them in their plight and does all it can to pin
Kraft down on commitments, particularly in respect of the
‘promises’ made throughout the bidding process that they would save
the soon to close Somerdale plant in Keynsham.
Fears are deepening that with Kraft's heavy debt, estimated to
be around £22 billion, Cadbury's new owners will inevitably look to
make savings through cuts in the operation of its new acquisition,
and that UK manufacturing will pay the price.
Unite says that workers and the Midlands community feel they
have been heavily let down by the big shareholders and the City,
who have ignored their plea of "Don't sell us out!", but that
government intervention can help secure them a future.
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