Minister seeks Cadbury jobs meeting

MINISTER FOR Enterprise Mary Coughlan has sought a meeting with the chief executive of Kraft Foods amid concerns over the survival of 1,200 Irish jobs in the Cadbury group.

The US food giant on Tuesday got the backing of shareholders for its takeover of the 186-year-old chocolate manufacturer, with an expectation of significant job cuts among the 45,000 worldwide workforce. Ms Coughlan said the Government and Enterprise Ireland “will provide every support possible” for the maintenance of jobs in Cadbury’s Ireland.

But she warned: “I have been advised that it will be a difficult task to make the case for Cadbury’s sustainability in Ireland in the context of the overproduction and oversupply that will arise from the takeover.”

Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton raised the issue in the Dáil when he expressed grave concern about the “significant impact” on the1,200 jobs in Coolock in Dublin, and Rathmore, Co Kerry. Mr Bruton said Britain’s secretary of state for business Lord Peter Mandelson “has met the chief executive officer of Kraft Foods to seek to protect jobs” in Britain but “the Tánaiste seems to be of the view that it would be inappropriate to intervene in this way”.

He asked if Ms Coughlan will “reconsider this short-sighted position?

“There are extraordinary exposures for this company, which has been a significant employer for a long time.”

The Tánaiste said she was aware of Lord Mandelson’s meeting and she had already sought a meeting with Kraft’s chief executive. “Last night I met the chief executive officer of Enterprise Ireland and we agreed to provide every support possible to Cadbury . . . in the context of the business plan it must put forward as part of the restructuring announced by the chief executive officer of Kraft Foods.”

She added, however, that “it will be more useful for that meeting to take place when we have a proposed business plan for the sustainability of Cadbury’s presence in the State”.

The Minister said, “it is on that basis that I did not ask to meet the chief executive officer until such time as the takeover is finalised”.