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Cadbury shop stewards meet to discuss Kraft job cuts Kraft Cadbury job cuts talks leave Unite union cynical
(about 9 hours later)
Union leaders at Cadbury in Birmingham are meeting to discuss Kraft Foods' plans to cut 200 jobs at three of its sites. Union leaders at Cadbury in Birmingham have said they got "no answers" at a meeting to discuss Kraft Foods' plans to cut 200 jobs at three of its sites.
The firm, which owns Cadbury, said jobs would go at Bournville in Birmingham, Chirk in Wrexham, north Wales, and Marlbrook in Herefordshire. Managers spent an hour at a meeting with union representatives earlier.
UNITE union convener John Flavin said it would be discussed at a scheduled meeting of shop stewards on Wednesday. The firm has said jobs would go at Bournville in Birmingham, Chirk in Wrexham and Marlbrook in Herefordshire.
Mr Flavin said the agenda for the meeting had been "rearranged". John Flavin from Unite said: "We tried to see if the sums added up but clearly we didn't get the answers we were anticipating."
News about the job losses came as Kraft announced a £50m investment in UK chocolate and biscuit manufacturing.News about the job losses came as Kraft announced a £50m investment in UK chocolate and biscuit manufacturing.
'Implications''Implications'
Mr Flavin said: "We're very pleased about the investment, but obviously the price that the workforce will have to pay, we can't really understand and we need more detail exactly how the company is going to achieve this." Mr Flavin said: "Until we get some clear cut answers from the company around the numbers of anticipated job cuts I think people are going to be a bit cynical."
He said "senior managers" would be attending the meeting and they were hoping to find out more details later. The union will be discussing the proposed job losses again a meeting of Birmingham union reps next Wednesday and at a national meeting the following day.
Mr Flavin said they had always had "good industrial relations" with Cadbury and that he and the union would be "working hard" to mitigate job losses.
"What we need to know is, to find out exactly where the axe is going to fall and find out exactly what the implications are and the impacts on our members," he said.
Kraft said the losses would be made through redeployment and voluntary redundancies over two years from next March.Kraft said the losses would be made through redeployment and voluntary redundancies over two years from next March.
In terms of investment, the firm said a new biscuit line would be made at the Sheffield plant, creating 20 new jobs.In terms of investment, the firm said a new biscuit line would be made at the Sheffield plant, creating 20 new jobs.
'Increase productivity''Increase productivity'
Kraft said additional money would be spent on a series of projects across three other manufacturing sites. Kraft said additional money would be spent on a series of projects across three other manufacturing sites - £13.5m at Bournville, £3.4m at Chirk and £2.6m at Marlbrook.
This includes £13.5m at Bournville, £3.4m at Chirk and £2.6m at Marlbrook.
The company said the remaining funds would be spent on a range of projects to upgrade infrastructure, speed up production, reduce waste and improve energy efficiency.The company said the remaining funds would be spent on a range of projects to upgrade infrastructure, speed up production, reduce waste and improve energy efficiency.
Neil Chapman, Kraft's manufacturing director, UK chocolate, said: "The ambition is for Bournville, Chirk and Marlbrook to remain at the centre of British food manufacturing and of the Kraft Foods network.Neil Chapman, Kraft's manufacturing director, UK chocolate, said: "The ambition is for Bournville, Chirk and Marlbrook to remain at the centre of British food manufacturing and of the Kraft Foods network.
"We continue to invest in our people and facilities, so we can increase productivity and transform our business.""We continue to invest in our people and facilities, so we can increase productivity and transform our business."