Factory closure is a betrayal by Cadbury


Simon Hazelwood Community campaign organiser Sir; Cadbury this week confirmed that it intends to close its factory at Somerdale in Keynsham by 2010, with the loss of more than 500 jobs, and move production to Poland to exploit lower labour costs. This is a most unjust decision, as the factory is still highly profitable, exceeding both profit and output targets last year. The factory has a history of shared community with the town that stretches back nearly 100 years, and if it were to close it would have a massive social and economic impact on the town of Keynsham and surrounding cities of Bristol and Bath. Opposition to the closure has been overwhelming. Local councils, the church, unions, local press and residents of Keynsham have been united in a campaign to overturn this decision. Locally, we petitioned the whole town collecting 8,200 signatures, focusing on the economic, social, environmental and moral arguments for non-closure. We presented this petition to the government employment minister Stephen Timms and Cadbury's director of human resources Richard Doyle. On 8 December last year we held a solidarity march and rally in the town, which - despite the most appalling weather - was attended by more than 1,000 people. Cadbury has abandoned all of its proud social responsibility and environmental values in the pursuit of higher profit margins to assuage its shareholders. The Cadbury board is planning to turn its back on its workforce, its community and in the process add millions of food miles to its products - 98% of which are sold in the UK. All this at a time when it's given an external commitment to halve its carbon footprint by 2020. However, the fight to save the Somerdale factory continues and we are encouraging a boycott of all Cadbury's products in an effort to make Cadbury think again. Please support us so we can keep this highly profitable British factory in Keynsham