Call to Safeguard Jobs After Labour Fudge Cadbury Takeover

12.00.00am GMT Fri 29th Jan 2010

A local Liberal Democrat councillor, who has the under threat Sheffield Cadbury Trebor Bassett factory in his ward, is set to take his call for the Government to stand up for local jobs to next weeks meeting of Sheffield City Council. Hillsborough Ward Liberal Democrat councillor Joe Taylor will propose that the Council writes to the Prime Minister and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson to demand that they safeguard the 700 local jobs at the factory in Owlerton, after the takeover of British firm Cadbury by the multinational food giant Kraft.

Councillor Joe Taylor said "The site at Owlerton was established in 1900 and the Trebor Basset firm comes from a company which was founded in Sheffield in 1842, so it is an important part of this city's manufacturing heritage.

"It is absolutely vital for Sheffield and the hundreds of families who rely on the Cadbury Trebor Bassett factory for jobs that the Government ensures that the factory has a future. I hope that the whole Council will rally round my proposal so that we can send a strong united message to the Prime Minister and Lord Mandelson."

The controversial takeover, signed off in January, was financed by the state owned Royal Bank of Scotland. Liberal Democrats are also questioning why the Government have allowed a publicly owned bank to fund a deal which would harm Britain's economy and cause British job losses.

Cllr Colin Ross, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Employment, Enterprise and Development said: "Like local workers, we fell let down that the Labour Government has allowed the state owned Royal Bank of Scotland to finance the takeover of the UK firm Cadbury by multinational food giant Kraft.

"Instead of financing multinational takeovers the Government should be ensuring that the Royal Bank of Scotland concentrates on helping with the finance of small and medium sized businesses in the UK. That's exactly what we will be asking them to do if our proposal is passed at Council."