YORK confectioner Nestl Rowntree could avoid compulsory redundancies when it sheds 234 jobs.

Union leader John Kirk said today it was his "sincere hope" that all the job losses could be achieved through voluntary redundancies, while Nestl said the "vast majority" would be voluntary.

A spokeswoman said today: "Nestl Rowntree is still in consultation with employees and employee representatives, so it would be inappropriate to provide exact figures.

"However, we remain confident that the vast majority of the redundancies will be achieved voluntarily."

Managers are expected to make an announcement about who will lose their job within the next week, following a lengthy consultation period with the unions.

The factory in Wigginton Road was rocked earlier this year when the company announced that 275 permanent posts were to go nationwide, including 234 in York. The company said the move was needed to make the business fit to meet the demands of the 21st century, in the face of rising costs and constant pressure from retailers.

A long-serving Nestl worker, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed today that "about 500" workers had put in for voluntary redundancy.

He said the mood at the Wigginton Road factory was extremely bleak. "It feels like a ghost town - nobody is happy," he claimed. "Everybody I've spoken to wants out - I've certainly put in for redundancy."

Mr Kirk said the 500 figure "seemed about right - at least in terms of the number of people who expressed an interest in redundancy". But he stressed that not everyone making an inquiry then went and formally applied.

He was optimistic that all redundancies would be voluntary, saying the terms being offered by the company were "very good".

The Press reported earlier this year how some workers feared they could be out of pocket by as much as £30,000 because of controversial proposed changes to the redundancy payout system in the face of new age-discrimination legislation.

The unions said then that they expected the company to "honour the original agreement". Mr Kirk said today that the matter was "still under discussion".

Letter gags us say Nestl staff

NESTL workers face the sack if they talk to The Press, it was revealed today.

But the confidential memo warning staff of the potential action was ironically leaked to us by several employees at the Wiggington Road plant, who claim they are being "gagged".

In the letter, Paul Harwood, the company's director of human resources, says "unauthorised and unsolicited provision of information to the press or other outside agency regarding the company is strictly forbidden".

It continues: "Any employee breaching their duty of confidentiality, or assisting or inducing any other employee to do so, will commit a breach of his or her contract of employment and will be subject to disciplinary action, the penalty for which is likely to be summary dismissal."

The Press is regularly contacted by workers at the factory, who want to inform us of impending job losses, shift changes or product developments.

One Nestl worker, who leaked the memo, said: "I thought we lived in a democratic country that had freedom of speech.

"Paul Harwood's letter says that by talking to The Press we will damage the brands they sell, but let's face facts, the management have done a very good job of that themselves.

"They treat staff like idiots and cause them stress and anxiety."

Another long-serving employee, who leaked the memo, said: "I feel that people should be told what's going on."

A Nestl spokeswoman said: "Reminding employees of the need for confidentiality is nothing out of the ordinary.

"Duty of confidentiality affects every employer and employee, and all big companies have similar procedures."

Updated: 11:02 Monday, May 15, 2006