THESE are extraordinary and uncomfortable days at Nestl Rowntree. The highly personal, public attack on former boss Chris White is unprecedented.

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chief executive of Nestl, threw off the firm's normal Swiss reserve to condemn Mr White for product "hyperventilation", burdening Rowntree's with "an enormous amount of costs".

This verbal assault was clearly a premeditated attempt to lay today's job cuts at the door of a man who is no longer with the company. Mr White's strategy was always to expand the Haxby Road portfolio. He noted that people's tastes were changing and they were looking for new experiences, and the early sales figures of lemon yogurt KitKats were good.

If that approach ultimately failed, it is unfair to heap all the blame on one man. Mr White must have enjoyed backing from his bosses as he sought investment for the new lines. Perhaps Mr Brabeck-Letmathe should reflect on his own responsibility for the loss of York jobs today.

The staff who are being laid off have far more to worry about than his outburst of course. Those who remain are bound to fear for the future. They have just witnessed York's longest-established confectioner, Terry's, suffer death by a thousand cuts.

There is a silver lining clinging to this grim cloud, however. Nestl said factory closures were not on its agenda. The new York boss Paul Grimwood is said to get on well with council leader Coun Steve Galloway, and the authority has clearly been briefed on today's announcement.

A period of stability and consolidation at Haxby Road, allied to a positive relationship with the city council, should provide Rowntree's with a solid platform for recovery.

Updated: 09:58 Thursday, March 02, 2006