Strike threat to Cadbury production in row over pay

Unite said in a statement that Cadbury had refused to honour the final year of a three-year pay agreement for 1,300 staff that guaranteed a minimum 2% pay rise every year.

According to the union, Cadbury had agreed a pay deal of 0.5% over the retail price index (RPI) with the workforce, with a minimum of 2% for 2009. However, the union said that Cadbury had imposed a deal of 0.5% for this year because the RPI in February was 0%.

Ballot papers began arriving at the homes of Unite members working at Cadbury’s Bourneville, Chirk and Marlbrook facilities on Saturday. The ballot will run for a month and close on 18 August.

A fourth plant at Somerdale, whose workers are also affected by the change, is being excluded from the ballot because of a clause in their redundancy agreements which, Unite said, means they forfeit all enhanced redundancy payments if they take any industrial action. Somerdale is due to close, with production moving to Poland.

Jennie Formby, Unite national officer for the food and retail sector, said: “The workers are angry that while Cadbury’s managers and shareholders carve up a hefty 30 per cent leap in profits, made by the hard work of the employees, workers are left choking on the crumbs, a derisory half per cent in their pay packets.”

“It is unacceptable that a company as profitable as Cadbury seeks to use a recession to snatch back money meant for workers.”

Cadbury was unavailable for comment this morning.

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