Cadbury workers head for London to urge government - help us save
UK jobs!
29th January 2010
Cadbury workers are to bring their fight for a future to
Westminster next week.
- From midday, Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
- Victoria Tower Gardens (near the House of Lords), SW1
On Tuesday, February 2nd, as Cadbury shareholders begin to vote on
Kraft's revised bid for the 200-year old chocolate maker, workers
will gather in central London to ask the government and MPs to do
all they can to protect jobs and investment at the UK sites.
They will also be 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 is bringing 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 soon-to-be 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.
Ahead of next week's lobby, Jennie Formby, Unite national
officer for food and drink, said: "While institutional shareholders
and hedge funds will be selling out Cadbury and its workforce in
the City - despite huge opposition from private shareholders and
the general public - we will be fighting for its future.
"It is the dedicated Cadbury workforce and its army of loyal
consumers who are this company's future. This is a great
company, loved around the world and providing good jobs for
thousands of people. We need to keep it that way - which is
why we're coming to Westminster to ask our government and our MPs
to do all they can to make Kraft commit to jobs and investment for
Cadbury.
"We will also be urging government to reform takeover
regulations to ensure this never happens again; employees must have
be given the voice and be able to negotiate guarantees before any
takeover so that workers don’t pay the price for takeovers like
this."
Coaches bringing workers from Bournville and the surrounding
community are expected to leave from the factory at 8am on February
2nd to head for Westminster. The workers will gather before
going into Committee Room 14 in the Commons where they will brief
MPs and peers on their plight.
ENDS
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