CADBURY workers from the Chirk cocoa processing plant joined colleagues across the country to campaign for what they claim is a fair wage deal.
Disgruntled workers from Cadbury's UK plants at Bourneville, Chirk, Marlbrook and Somerdale say the company must honour the final year of a three- year pay agreement, which they claim it broke in February despite making massive profits this year.
Barrie Roberts, an engineering buyer at the Chirk site, and its Unite worker’s union representative joined a protest in London last week on behalf of his Wrexham colleagues.
He said: “I joined Unite members from Cadbury’s factories across the UK, as well as trade union colleagues from across Europe, to demonstrate in London, where directors of Cadbury were meeting.
“The protest was intended to name and shame the company for failing to pass on the benefits of a 47% increase in UK sales to its British workforce in the final year of a three-year pay deal.
“The company has offered a 0.5% increase, whereas Unite members are claiming a guarantee of at least 2% under the deal.”
He added: “We can’t rule out future strike action, but we will pursue this for as long as it takes.
“The company is trying to blame the tough economic climate we’re in, but Cadbury’s has made a 47% increase in sales over the last year.
“The directors are in a strong position to honour the pay agreement that was made, so they should do it.”
But a Cadbury spokesman said: “It is untrue to say we have reneged on the pay deal. It was always 0.5% above inflation for the third year, which is what we have implemented.
“No business is immune from the economic uncertainty ahead.
“Given the very low rate of inflation, our pay increase, which was agreed in 2007, is fair in the current economic climate.”
