London, Feb. 3: Britain is worried about the future of the Cadbury brands after the British firm’s shareholders voted in favour of American firm Kraft Foods’ £11.9 billion offer for the British confectionary giant.
The British business secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, met Kraft chairman, Ms Irene Rosenfeld, a few hours after the American firm got the shareholders’ nod on Tuesday. He said after the meeting that he was “disappointed” after Ms Rosenfeld was unable to confirm that Cadbury confectionary brands would be run from the UK despite the takeover.“I was disappointed that she was unable to confirm whether Cadbury’s confectionery brands will continue to be managed and operated globally out of the UK. On the other hand, she said that she expects Britain to be a net gainer in manufacturing output and employment so that was encouraging, but what we’ve got to do now is to remain in close touch,” Lord Mandelson told the BBC after the meeting.“I’m glad now to be in personal touch but what I will be looking for are much harder, more specific commitments in the next three to six months,” he added.More than 100 Cadbury workers from Bourneville, near Birmingham, on Tuesday protested outside Parliament to urge MPs and ministers to protect jobs at Cadbury. The 186-year-old company employs around 6,000 people in the UK.The unions are worried that jobs and investment in Cadbury will be slashed to meet Kraft’s burgeoning debt.
AGE CORRESPONDENT