Community needs Cadbury jobs losses at Claremont site to stop, says Denison MHR Andrew Wilkie

TASMANIAN Treasurer Peter Gutwein says the impending loss of 40 jobs at Cadbury is disappointing but he believes the chocolate maker still has a long-term future in the state.

TASMANIAN Treasurer Peter Gutwein says the impending loss of 40 jobs at Cadbury is disappointing but he believes the chocolate maker still has a long-term future in the state.

“I understand that Cadbury will be investing a further $20 million into its plant, so for the workforce — which is around 400 — it will obviously become 360 moving forward,” he said.

“I think it signals that Cadbury are here to stay for the long term.”

MORE: BITTER TASTE AS 40 MORE JOBS TO GO AT CADBURY

Mr Gutwein said the Department of State Growth skills unit would engage with the people affected to help them find work elsewhere.

‘At the moment, in terms of jobs elsewhere, we have a strong jobs market,” he said.

The latest loss of 40 jobs from the Claremont factory means more than 200 jobs have been lost from the site in Hobart’s northern suburbs during the past five years.

In 2013, Cadbury employed about 600 people.

Unions and other MPS have voiced their anger at the latest job cuts.

Attorney-General Elise Archer: “I can understand when manufacturing companies need to make efficiencies but of course the flipside of that is that there may be winners and losers in that situation.”

Denison MP Andrew Wilkie said the jobs losses came on top of 50 jobs cut last year and 80 in 2015.

“Yes, there’s new investment. Yes, Cadbury must remain competitive internationally, and, yes the factory remains open when similar plants like Dunedin in New Zealand are closing.

“But Claremont is different and everyone in the community, including me as their federal political representative, expect and need the disappointments and job losses to stop.

Mr Wilkie said a $16 million promise to Cadbury by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2013 was ultimately channelled into a political slush fund to help win seats in the electorates of Bass, Braddon and Lyons.

Denison MHR Andrew Wilkie outside the Cadbury factory in Claremont today after parent company Mondelez International announced more job cuts. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Cadbury parent company Mondelez International late yesterday announced a significant investment in new machinery at its Cadbury Claremont site as the next milestone in its “efficiency journey”.

Cadbury Claremont site manager Ross Coleman said the job losses would coincide with a $20 million investment in automation technology.

“Currently our employees manually place Flake and Twirl bars onto a line to be wrapped,” he said.

“The new equipment will connect and automate the bar making and wrapping line, which will

increase capacity and remove some of these repetitive motion activities.’

He said Flake and Twirl products required significant efficiencies to ensure the company could compete globally and overcome some of the challenges associated with Australian production, such as our distant location, low domestic growth, and rising costs of freight and other inputs.”