HUGH Bayley was guest of honour at the Nestl factory in Haxby Road, York, as the firm launched a new multi-million pound network system.

The network will link the company's factories around the world, allowing information and production methods to be shared.

All staff at the York factory have been trained on the new system, which is the result of two years' planning.

At the launch yesterday Mr Bayley, the Labour party candidate for the City of York, said: "Nestl is one of the city's biggest employers and is extremely important to the York economy. This new computer system has been developed over two years and it will improve their efficiency and safeguard jobs.

"It is good that Nestl is continuing to invest in the York site."

Factory manager Martin Cruft, said: "This system will make a big difference to how everybody in the factory works."

Meanwhile, the Mr Bayley challenged his election rivals over the issue of pensioner poverty, after a report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies said OAPs were less likely than young people to be in poverty.

He said: "Labour has lifted 5,000 York pensioners out of poverty. I challenge my opponents to say whether they will match Labour's pledge to keep raising the pension Credit in line with earning, not just inflation."

He has been joined by Faisal Mohamed Salih, a Sudanese journalist, who has been shadowing Mr Bayley for the final week of the election campaign.

As editor of the Aladdwaa daily paper in Khartoum, Mr Salih is one of 30 journalists from around the world brought to the UK by the British Council to cover the election.

Mr Salih, 44, said: "It's been very interesting. My paper would be reporting the British election anyway, but this time we are able to do it in greater depth."

Mr Bayley said: "I was asked if I was willing to have one of the journalists shadow me, and I said yes. It's been fascinating."

Updated: 10:24 Tuesday, May 03, 2005