Merry Xmas...you're fired

THE 1200-strong workforce at NEC in Livingston were told today that they are to lose their jobs - just a week before Christmas.

The jobs blow was described as a "kick in the teeth" for the workforce.

And one worker summed up the feelings of fellow staff when he said: "This has ruined Christmas for everyone".

The first shift were called in to hear the shock news at 6am today.

They were told that the plant was shutting down with the loss of all jobs due to the downturn in the global economy.

NEC had announced the loss of 600 jobs in July, to be made by March next year.

But now the whole plant will close in April with the loss of all 1260 staff due to a slump in demand for microchips which are made at NEC.

The news comes in the wake of the closure of Motorola’s Bathgate plant and the loss of 3100 jobs in April.

One shocked worker, who did not want to be named, said the news had left the workforce stunned. He added: "This has

ruined Christmas for everyone. The timing could not have been worse, one week before Christmas.

"We have been hearing rumours about this for a while, but nobody was expecting this."

West Lothian Council deputy leader Willie Dunn said he was "gutted" for the NEC workforce.

He added: "This is a real kick in the teeth. To lose your job at any time of year is bad enough. To be told the week before Christmas is sickening for the workforce at NEC.

"The economy of West Lothian has been set back a long way by this. It was rebuilding after the Motorola job losses but now we are back to square one.

"We will be redoubling our efforts to get the Scottish Executive to invest in a full recovery plan for West Lothian."

In a shock announcement this morning NEC said they were "suspending operations" at the Livingston plant from April.

It added: "As part of NEC’s global restructuring and in response to the downturn in the semiconductor industry, NEC has closed certain domestic production lines.

"Due to poor demand for mobile phone related systems for the European market, NEC’s utilization rate has continued to drop rapidly, with no immediate sign of recovery in semiconducter market conditions, NEC announced today its decision to suspend production at the Livingston facility."

NEC Corporation is worldwide computer and mobile phone company. It employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and saw net sales of £35 billion in the last fiscal year 2000-2001.

The Scottish Executive promised there would be immediate access to training for alternative jobs for those workers affected, including initiatives which proved successful in helping staff find new work after losing their jobs at Motorola.

An Executive spokeswoman added: "We regret the decision by NEC to mothball the Livingston facility. Closure is due to global downturn and operations are being reduced across the world not just in Scotland.

"A senior official from the enterprise department recently flew out to meet the company at the highest level and understand that the company’s decision is in no way a reflection on the skills and commitment of the workforce."

SNP Lothians MSP Fiona Hyslop said the NEC announcement added to a devastating toll of jobs over the past couple years.

"There are only so many job losses the West Lothian economy can soak up," she said.

"The government’s economic policy is putting Scottish exporters at a disadvantage."

She said many families in West Lothian had already been hit by previous redundancies at Continental Tyres and Motorola.

"There will be many families where more than one member works at NEC and for the news to come the week before Christmas will be a devastating blow not just to the West Lothian economy but to many people in the area."

Ms Hyslop said Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander should meet immediately with NEC management to see if any jobs could be salvaged and if there was any prospect of a long-term future for the plant in some capacity.