Cadbury union bosses meet Kraft

Cadbury produces some of the UK's best-known chocolate bars

Union leaders are to hold talks with a US company which launched a hostile takeover bid for Birmingham-based chocolate firm Cadbury.

Members of Unite will meet bosses of food firm Kraft next week.

Cadbury has turned down Kraft's £9.8bn ($16.4bn) takeover offer but it will now go to shareholders to look at.

Unite spokeswoman Jennie Formby said the union would not be "fobbed off" with "bland assurances" about investment.

On Wednesday, confectionery groups Ferrero and Hershey confirmed they are also considering a possible joint takeover bid for Cadbury.

Cadbury, which also has plants in Marlbrook, Herefordshire, and Somerdale, Keynsham, has declined to comment on the news.

Ms Formby, Unite's national secretary for food and drink, said: "We are not just going to take bland assurances of 'don't worry, your jobs will be safe with us and we will make investments'.

"We have sought concrete guarantees for five years for jobs, sites, terms and conditions, pensions and so on and we are not going to be fobbed off with something that is just paying lip service to that."

Cadbury is the world's second-largest confectionery business, with full-year revenues of £5.4bn in 2008.

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