 The �40m contract could safeguard jobs for the next 18 months |
A delegation of workers at a Devon shipyard is due to meet the head of the GMB union, Kevin Curran. The meeting, at the Trade Unions' Congress conference in Brighton, comes at an uncertain time for workers.
The management at Appledore Shipyard is currently being urged to tell the 550-strong workforce what is happening about their jobs.
The last contract leaves the factory on the banks of the Torridge within a few days.
And most of the workers are currently on a three-day week.
GMB senior organiser Gary Smith said: "There is a possibility that there will be an emergency motion at the TUC, to put the issue on a national agenda."
Raw steel has arrived to start work on a �40m barge for an offshore wind energy business, which could secure jobs at the yard for the next 18 months.
But contracts have not been signed and financial negotiations are continuing.
Some staff at Appledore Shipbuilders say they have never known an atmosphere so downhearted.
One-Minute World News 
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