The Socialist 27 January 2010 Prosecute the war criminal Blair Prosecute the war criminal Blair Bonuses for bankers but recession for workers Outrage against bankers spurs Obama on Unemployment figures don't tell the full story Lewisham Socialist Party prepares for election Support for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) grows Haiti: Survivors shackled by huge debt and poverty Cadbury's bosses opt for a sugary takeover Unison black members reject witch-hunt South Yorkshire fire dispute Negotiations go national Building the fight against education cuts at Leeds Glasgow City Unison fights back against cuts in jobs and services Temperature rises at British Airways Ticket office staff strike again University of Gloucestershire staff fight back Cuts at Cardiff University must be fought PCS members at Hewlett Parkard strike in Lytham St Annes and North Tyneside Seventh day of national strike action at Fujitsu IT |
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Home | The Socialist 27 January 2010 | Join the Socialist Party Cadbury's bosses opt for a sugary takeoverThe 'patriotism' of Cadbury's bosses melted away after US company Kraft Food made a mouth-watering £11.9 million bid for the confectionary manufacturer. Clive Walder and Simon CarterIronically, as government MPs tut-tutted about the takeover of a 'venerable British institution', it was revealed that one of Kraft's financial backers is none other than the state-owned RBS bank. The heavily leveraged takeover will inevitably result in a wholesale 'restructuring' of Cadbury ie massive job cuts, as the new owners attempt to shed its estimated £22 billion debt mountain. 'Patriotism', as the board of Cadbury has shown, is clearly 'the last refuge of the scoundrel'. So why then did the leaders of the trade unions act in an unholy alliance with Cadbury's bosses to try and stop the takeover? Before Christmas the unions (mainly Unite) held demonstrations outside the factory complete with Union Jack flags opposing any American takeover and declaring that they wanted the company to stay in British hands. While a union-led campaign to save workers' jobs is essential, for the unions to encourage this slavish nationalism is very dangerous. British capitalists exist to maximise their own income as do those that have targeted Cadbury's from abroad. The union leaders also sowed illusions in that capitalist representative, Lord Mandelson's ability to keep the company in British hands. Not surprisingly the New Labour government has once again bowed to the god of private capital. Gordon Brown's announcement that he will do all he can to keep jobs in Britain is meaningless, unless he enacts special measures, as he has no power under existing legislation to intervene over the bid unless it's a strategic industry. There is no guarantee that a British company would be any 'nicer' to Cadbury workers and the twin pronged approach of the unions in sowing illusions in British ownership and the New Labour government has failed on both counts. Unite instead should have been calling for the nationalisation of Cadbury's under democratic workers' control and management to safeguard the jobs and challenge Labour's pro-big business policies. In this issue
Credit crunch
Socialist Party election campaign
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