Heavy machinery giant JCB has warned that up to 950 jobs are at risk of redundancy at its UK plants after demand for its products fell by half as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
The company wrote to its employees on Friday to advise that jobs are under threat at its 10 plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham.
A 45-day consultation period will begin on Monday. Around 500 Guidant agency employees, who work at JCB's UK sites, are also being released from the business.
JCB said the announcement was as a result of the severe disruption caused to its business by the current crisis. Chief executive Graeme Macdonald said the decision to restructure JCB's business had been extremely tough but that the company "had no choice but to take