Workers at Cadbury's four chocolate factory sites have voted in favour of holding a ballot on strike action.
Last month, the company announced it was closing its
factory at Keynsham near Bristol and transferring production to Poland
and Birmingham.
Staff in Keynsham, Bournville in Birmingham, Chirk in
North Wales and Marlbrook in Herefordshire voted by 1,363 to 130
against the proposals.
They also voted by 1,090 to 312 for a ballot on strike action.
Cadbury's plans will mean the loss of 500 jobs at the Keynsham site by 2010.
Steve Preddy, regional industrial organiser for union
Unite, said its chocolate workers did not accept the decision to shut
the site.
Mr Preddy said: "We felt we needed a mandate from the workforce on two elements.
"Firstly on the decision affecting the Sommerdale site
(at Keynsham) and secondly whether to progress to an industrial action
ballot.
"The result of this ballot reflects the anger that
emanated from Sommerdale to the other sites - the proposals have
unsettled the workforce."
No decision has yet been made on the length of any
strike but Mr Preddy said if it came to taking action it would be
"inevitable" that supplies of chocolate to the public would be hit.
Staff in Keynsham were told during an emergency meeting
in October that the phased closure would begin in 2009 and be finished
by 2010.
Talks continue
Cadbury said sites at Chirk and Marlbrook would be "unaffected" by the plans.
Unite said it would continue in talks with Cadbury and hoped to avoid any strike action.
The union will ask the company to reverse the closure
decision as well as plans to restructure production and Bournville
transferring work to Poland with the loss of 700 jobs in total in the
UK.
Tony Bilsborough, a spokesman for Cadbury, said: "This
was not a vote for industrial action and we will continue to carry out
a series of consultation meetings with the unions over the next few
weeks."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7089501.stm
