Telecommunications firm Marconi has been threatened with strike action unless it drops plans for enforced job losses.

The troubled firm announced it was cutting 1,000 staff at the end of August with the hope that most would be voluntary redundancies.

But the union Amicus has warned if any of its members are given compulsory redundancies it will hold a strike ballot.

It says about 20 staff at Liverpool and 50 in Coventry are at risk.

Industrial action is on the cards if one single Amicus member is made redundant compulsorily

Roger Jeary, Amicus National Officer

The union has given the firm until 19 November to drop its plans for the site in Edge Lane, Liverpool, to make people redundant by the end of this month.

A consultative ballot in Coventry on the same issue is also taking place.

Roger Jeary, Amicus National Officer said: "We have co-operated fully with company restructuring plans to help Marconi survive, so far entirely with voluntary redundancies."

"Our position is clear, industrial action is on the cards if one single Amicus member is made redundant compulsorily."

Costly acquisition spree

Marconi's workforce in the UK has almost halved in the past two years, having made 7,000 staff redundant.

Marconi was formerly the defence firm GEC.

It tried to turn itself into a global telecommunications specialist through a costly acquisition spree during the late 1990s.

But the technology and telecoms downturn came just as the company completed its makeover, leaving Marconi with billions of pounds of debts.

The company has sold off parts of the business and has been involved in lengthy negotiations with its banks to try to restructure what is left.