FACTORY workers in Leigh were today reeling from the news that they will lose their jobs after Volex Powercords announced sweeping cuts and said it was moving its production line to Asia.
The axing of 220 jobs has been described as "a sad loss to the community" by divisional managing director Tom Barber. Mr Barber said the job cuts were a result of "difficult times" for the company.
Volex Group has revealed it is to merge two of its European cable equipment manufacturing units to cut capacity and save money.
As a result its new factory, opened at Greenfold Way in Leigh Business Park in 1997, will drastically reduce its operations.
Unions are negotiating with managers over redundancy packages for staff, some who have worked at the company for 20 years.
Staff will be kept on until April, with a handful of workers left to run the factory as a warehouse with one automated production line.
Mr Barber said: "We were once Leigh's biggest employer. It is a sign of the times, these are difficult times.
"It will be a sad loss to the town. We have yet to negotiate how many staff will continue to work on site, but our products will now be manufactured in factories in Asia." The company was forced to axe 325 jobs last year and 100 jobs in 1999 because of a more competitive market.
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