Union
leaders have been told Marconi is closing its factory at Poole in Dorset as
part of its plans to axe 4,000 jobs worldwide.
The company
employs around 570 staff at the site on the south-coast and the closure is
expected to be the first phase of up to 1,500 job cuts in the UK.
The MSF
union says Marconi is set to make further announcements about the impact of the
4,000 global job losses on its UK operation this afternoon.
A union
spokesman condemned the decision and claimed staff were paying the price for
bad boardroom decisions.
MSF
representatives are due to meet Marconi management next Tuesday to discuss the
fate of the staff in Poole.
Danny
Carrigan, national officer of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union,
said, “We are obviously very disappointed that Marconi has found it necessary
to look at a plant closure. The UK needs a strong Marconi.
“Our
priority is to safeguard the future of the workforce, to avoid compulsory
redundancies and to explore the options of relocation, redeployment and
retraining.”
By Ben Willmott. Click here to respond
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