"WE have no comment to make on the comments that have been made about York factory."

Sixteen words of silence. That was all Nestl could manage in response to growing concern at the situation at Rowntree's.

Workers have told us how KitKat production lines have been suspended, claiming that 30 weeks' worth of stock sits unsold in warehouses. The manufacture of other key brands is also set to be temporarily stopped, we are told.

If true, these are deeply worrying developments. With the demise of Terry's so fresh in all our minds, it is inevitable that Rowntree workers are fearing the worst.

Nestl has a duty to them to put the record straight. The corporation is shirking that duty.

This newspaper has reported the news from Rowntree's, in good times and bad, for more than a century. In recent years our stories have ranged from record-breaking production celebrations to technology-instigated job losses.

On each occasion we have attempted a dialogue with the factory bosses. Most have been keen to work with us to explain events. Sometimes we have had to make do with an official statement from corporate headquarters.

But we cannot recall a time when Nestl has point blank refused to comment.

The new Rowntree boss, Paul Grimwood, is born and bred in York and therefore ought to understand the importance of keeping open the lines of communication with the city's newspaper. Yet he has persistently turned down our requests for an interview.

All this fuels the conjecture which harms the business. That will go on until Nestl managers realise they have a responsibility to their York staff, their pensioners, their investors and this city to answer the question: what is going on?

Updated: 12:04 Tuesday, January 24, 2006