CHOC horror; your money.Byline: CLINTON MANNING; GRAHAM HISCOTT A BITTER pay row threatens to spark a chocolate shortage later this year. Cadbury factory workers are considering strike action after claiming they're paid buttons while bosses fatten fat·ten v. fat·tened, fat·ten·ing, fat·tens v.tr. 1. To make plump or fat. 2. To fertilize (land). 3. their profits. The dispute could hit production of some of the firm's best-selling bars including Dairy Milk, Crunchie and Wispa, warn union leaders. Disgruntled staff plan to protest at a top-level meeting of management in West London West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. Although it is only ambiguously defined, it is one of the most economically active areas of London outside of the centre, containing significant amounts of office space along with Heathrow Airport and many of today. Workers' union Unite accuses Cadbury of backtracking (algorithm) backtracking - A scheme for solving a series of sub-problems each of which may have multiple possible solutions and where the solution chosen for one sub-problem may affect the possible solutions of later sub-problems. on a threeyear pay deal. It says the firm originally agreed a 2% rise this year but is now offering just 0.5%. Unite's national officer Jennie Formby said: "This broken promise is simply not acceptable. Cadbury's managers and shareholders are getting fat on the company profits while workers' wages are melting away." She went on: "Staff know that this is nothing to do with cutting costs during tough times and everything to do with an employer cynically taking advantage of a recession to attack workers' pay." The union claims Cadbury can afford the pay rise after announcing that profits jumped 30% to pounds 559million last year. It says the average UK worker generated more than pounds 15,000 profit for the firm and that, although bosses have had their pay frozen, they're in line for bumper bonuses. Unless the company backs down, Unite warns, it will ballot the firm's workforce for industrial action. Staff at Cadbury's UK plants at Bourneville, Birmingham; Chirk chirk tr. & intr.v. chirked, chirk·ing, chirks To make or become cheerful. [Middle English chirken, to chirp, chirrup, from Old English cearcian, , North Wales; Malbrook, Herefordshire; and Somerdale in Bristol are all being affected. Cadbury denies it agreed to a 2% pay rise and maintains that manufacturing workers are the only ones in the group to be offered any wage increase this year. On claims that a strike could lead to chocolate shortages, a spokesman said: "We are confident there will be no problem with supplies." CAPTION(S): FAT CATS Bourneville plant |
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