A
management guru has been called in an attempt to save 650 UK jobs at two Levi’s
textile factories in Scotland.
The
Glasgow Evening Times reports that Professor Robert van der Meer from
Strathclyde University has been brought in by unions and bosses in an attempt
to find an alternative to closure at the jean-making plants.
It
say his appointment comes after Levi’s executives announced plans to shut a
finishing plant in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, which employs 185 workers, and a
sewing factory in Dundee, where 462 machinists are based.
A
slump in orders was the reason given, but management agreed to reconsider the
decision following five hours of negotiations with the GMB union.
The
union said Professor van der Meer was the right person to step in, and the
company agreed to pay his costs.
The
lecturer from the Department of Management Science at the university’s business
school is expected to make known his findings within the next two weeks,
reports the paper.
Union
official Ian King said today: "It is an agonising wait for the workers but
we are all hoping the professor can find an alternative to closure to retain
all if not some of the jobs."
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