Nestle has announced it is going to move production of the iconic Blue Riband chocolate biscuit to Poland – just to ship it back to Britain.
Some 300 jobs in Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland are now in jeopardy after the confectionery giant proposed cuts to their UK bases, despite raking in £21 billion from sales at a quarterly increase of 0.4 per cent.
Blue Riband has been made in Britain since 1936 and is primarily consumed by the UK market – meaning it will have to be exported BACK into this country if production moves to Eastern Europe.
The potential job cuts are as follows:
York, Yorkshire – 143 jobs
Fawdon, North East – 110 jobs
Halifax, Yorkshire – 15 jobs
Girvan, Scotland – 7 jobs
Following the devastating job losses announced at Diageo and Pepsico in recent weeks, the unions warn this could be the tip of the Brexit iceberg as companies use leaving the EU as an excuse to slash jobs and trample on workers’ rights.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary, said:“To shift the production of an iconic British brand like Blue Riband to Poland is completely unacceptable.
“Nestle are throwing people’s lives, and those of their families, into turmoil for the sake of increasing profit margins.
“These factories should be exporting chocolate – not people’s jobs.
“The Government needs to step in before it’s too late – and reassure millions of workers across the country this is not just the tip of the Brexit iceberg.”
