FOOD company Nestl is to cut 270 jobs at a factory which makes Easter eggs and Quality Street chocolates.

The jobs will go during an 18-month period from June at the plant in Halifax, West Yorkshire, although the company said 200 seasonal posts would be created at the site.

Most of the redundancies will be voluntary wherever possible, said Nestl, adding that its aim was to transform Halifax into a high-performing factory, giving increased opportunities to workers to learn new skills.

The Transport and General Workers Union said the cuts would halve the number of jobs at the factory and would have a devastating effect on the local area. National officer Brian Revell said the announcement was more evidence of the global structuring by the food and confectionery company, which raised concerns about Nestl's future intentions.

"It seems clear that Nestl are working to a clear strategy of cutbacks and job losses in the UK," said Mr Revell. He said Nestl had announced more than 400 job losses in the UK in the past few weeks.

Paul Graddon, factory manager at Halifax, said: "This proposal in no way reflects on the employees of the Halifax site, who have worked extremely hard over the years.

"The proposed changes are about transforming Halifax into a high-performing factory, making it a better place to work for everyone and building its long-term future.

"Halifax is responsible for some of the world's best-loved confectionery brands."

The factory produces more than one million tins of Quality Street and 25 million Easter eggs each year.