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Nestlé is moving ahead with plans to close its confectionery factory in Fawdon, UK, with the loss of 474 jobs. The future of the Newcastle factory had been in doubt since last year, when Nestlé announced a set of proposed changes to its UK confectionery manufacturing, which included the closure of the site. Nestlé says that the majority of production currently in Fawdon will move to Halifax, West Yorkshire. Smaller portions of production will move to factories outside of the UK. The Fawdon site produces popular confectionery products such as Fruit Pastilles and Toffee Crisp. A Nestlé spokesperson said: “The consultation around the changes we proposed in April 2021 is still ongoing. We said from the outset that we wanted to provide adequate time and space for these discussions and it is only right that they are held directly with our employees and trade unions and not in public. “It remains a priority to support our people and their families through this process and we thank everybody for their patience. We will provide an update once the consultation is complete.” Ross Murdoch, national officer for the GMB union, said: “Closing this profit-making site and shifting production to Europe is completely unacceptable”. GMB, along with Unite, will now speak to members in Fawdon “to discuss next steps”.