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Sunday, 17 November, 2002, 10:17 GMT
Jobs blow at textile firm
Dewhirst workers
The workers will leave the factory in the New Year
Workers are to get more details about the proposed closure of a Northumberland clothing factory and more than 400 redundancies.

Staff at the Dewhirst factory in Ashington, Northumberland, were told on Friday that production is being switched to Morocco.

The company blamed the closure on losses of �35,000 a week.

In October, 100 jobs were lost at a baby care products factory in neighbouring Cramlington as production was moved to China.

'Extremely angry'

Dewhirst supplies ladieswear to Marks and Spencer.

Earlier this year the company cut 400 jobs at its factory in Sunderland.

More than 5,000 clothing jobs have been lost in the North East over the past four years.

A spokesman for the General Municipal and Boilermakers union (GMB), said: "We are extremely angry at the closure announcement.

"We intend to resist the closure. We have been working with the company to bring new contracts to Ashington."

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 ON THIS STORY
The BBC's Ian Reeve
"The lure of a cheaper workforce is tempting"

Click here to go to Tyne
See also:

20 Sep 02 | England
02 Sep 02 | N Ireland
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