UK union not appeased over Kraft's bid for Cadbury
Britain's largest union, Unite, with over 2 million members, has expressed continued consternation over the potential hostile takeover of Cadbury by American snack giant Kraft. The British union is pushing for a rock-solid guarantee that Kraft will not transfer production positions out of Britain as happened with the Chocolate Orange franchise several years ago. Kraft continues to say that it intends to keep open a location in Bristol, that would have closed under Cadbury, to the tune of 500 jobs. However, the union continues to push for guarantees over promises. Bidding for the Cadbury company has been a sensitive subject in Britain, where the 195-year old company is much beloved. In addition to Kraft, The Hershey Company, Italy's Ferrero International, and Switzerland's Nestle have tentative plans to bid for the British chocolate-maker.
See "UK union not appeased over Kraft's bid for Cadbury", Jane Wardell, Business Week, November 24, 2009