Workers march over factory threat

Up to 200 workers have marched from the headquarters of Hoover in south Wales to protest against the possible loss of 337 jobs at the washing machine plant.

People applauded as the workers marched to Merthyr town centre.

One union official at the factory in Merthyr Tydfil fears production could stop on 27 February after 60 years and the plant close completely.

But the Italian-owned firm said no final decision had been made and it is still in consultation with staff.

Hoover has said it can no longer make competitively priced items at the site.

Brothers Gareth and Malcolm Williams joined the march Workers fear the 'end of an era'

Union officials have been holding talks with management since the jobs announcement was made in November but so far the company has not told manufacturing workers officially whether production will definitely be stopped or not.

At the end of the half-hour march to the town centre, union officials and politicians addressed the marchers outside the Merthyr council offices.

Local MP Dai Havard told workers they needed to support their unions to get a good settlement and to ensure jobs are provided locally in the future.

Good settlement

The area's AM Huw Lewis said every level of government needed to pull out the stops to make sure Hoover workers were properly looked after.

A 90 day consultation period on the plans is due to come to end next month.

However John Jones, the Unite union convenor at the Merthyr plant, said David Lunt, Hoover vice president for group human resources had told them production would be stopped on 27 February, although this could knock on to 13 March.

"We hope to highlight that the offer the company has given us is not good enough," said Mr Jones.

"We would also like to know what the Welsh assembly (government) and Merthyr borough council are going to do."

The union official said that despite the continuing consultations with the company, there was a "realisation" that manufacturing at the site was going to end and fears the whole plant could close.

HOOVER IN MERTHYR 1948: Factory opens 1973: By time of Queen's visit almost 5,000 people worked at site 1985: Hoover became manufacturer for Sinclair C5 - company merges with Chicago Pacific Corportation 1992: Hoover launched a disastrous free-flights offer for customers buying a product over �100 - but it could not meet demand and faced a �48m payout after court cases 1995: Hoover sold to Italian firm Candy

"There is no hope at all - it is closing," he said.

Mr Lewis described the closure as a "massive disappointment" and said the effects would ripple out into the wider community.

He also called on Economy Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones to help Merthyr "get some value out of the site" if it closed.

"We need to know, are we going to get some other jobs and economic activity on what is a good brownfield site?" he said.

"I want to see an assembly government plan on how they are going to help Merthyr Tydfil.

"They have done it before in many other parts of Wales where an iconic employer has left the area."

Mr Lewis added that the workers wanted to hold the march so that their case was not forgotten.

Unite union officials are hoping around 150 people will take part in the march from Hoover to the council offices in Merthyr.

An assembly government spokesman said its services to assist workers leaving Hoover to find either new skills or suitable alternative employment would come into operation when it knew exactly who would need them.

Washing machines and tumble driers are currently made at the plant and the firm currently employs a total of 450 staff.

Aside from manufacturing, which makes up most of the workforce, it has finance, legal, IT, order processing, transport and logistics, warehouse and distribution departments which were not affected by the initial announcement.

The company, owned by Italian firm Candy, has a 60-year association with Wales, employing 5,000 people at Merthyr Tydfil at its peak.

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