Cadbury Ltd's decision to contract out the management of its facilities to US-based Johnson Controls ‘‘probably makes a lot of sense'', Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Christie says.
But Service and Food Workers Union Southern regional secretary Campbell Duignan has some concerns.
This week, Cadbury Australia and New Zealand corporate communication manager Daniel Ellis told The Star the multinational confectionery company had appointed Wisconsin-based Johnson Controls to be its global facilities management provider and was looking at what that would mean for Dunedin.
‘‘We are in the initial phases of scoping the work Johnson Controls will perform at a number of our sites, including Dunedin,'' Australian-based Mr Ellis said.
Johnson Controls' website says the company specialises in automotive and systems engineering and energy efficiency for buildings.
Mr Christie welcomed the news, which he said could bring world-leading expertise to Dunedin.
Christchurch-based Mr Duignan was concerned about ensuring workers' conditions were protected under Johnson Controls.
Mr Ellis said Cadbury was still at the ‘‘very early informationgathering stages'' regarding Dunedin, but contracting out facilities management was the direction the company was going.
‘‘Last month, Cadbury's Australian head office facilities management services transferred to Johnson Controls as have other sites in the UK and Europe and the transition has been seamless.
‘‘Our partnership with Johnson Controls allows Cadbury to focus time on our core business of making confectionery whilst receiving the facilities management services and support of a leading company in this field.''
Asked what impact any changes could have on employee numbers, Mr Ellis said: ‘‘In the event of any impact for our employees, we would consult with our employees in the first instance''.
The Star asked what jobs at Dunedin's Cadbury factory came under the umbrella of facility services and how many people were employed in those roles but had not received an answer by the time of publication.
Mr Christie said he was not surprised by the plan to contract out facilities management.
‘‘They have obviously asked themselves ‘can we find someone who can do this better than we can do it ourselves?','' he said.
‘‘I think it could mean more positives than negatives for Dunedin in terms of providing access to worldwide expertise.''
Mr Duignan said legislation ensured the working conditions of ‘‘vulnerable workers'' were protected when work was retendered or contracted out.
‘‘Our concern here would be that the incoming contractor engages in a constructive way with the union,'' Mr Duignan said.
