LONDON, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite, the UK's biggest union, today condemned the announcement by electrical goods firm JVC that it will close its East Kilbride electronic plant with the loss of 300 local jobs.

Workers were told the news at a canteen meeting called by management this morning, Friday, 25th April 2008. The plant, which makes LCD television sets, will shift production to Eastern Europe in July.

Unite Regional Officer, Jimmy Farrelly, said: "Our members are absolutely stunned by this news. We have been involved in pay negotiations with the company recently and there was no mention whatsoever that the future of the plant was in doubt.

"We will be sitting down with management and politicians over the next week to discuss what can be salvaged from this but I can assure our members that we will fight to tooth and nail for every benefit possible from JVC. There has been no transparency from management and as the news kicks-in shock will no doubt give way to anger.

"It's a disgraceful way to treat a skilled, loyal and productive workforce, many of whom have been employed since the plant first opened in 1987."

The closure will also result in the loss of an additional 60 agency jobs and Unite understands that these will be axed as early as next week.

Unite says the news is yet another hammer blow to Scottish manufacturing and will bring further worry for the East Kilbride area as hundreds of jobs are currently under threat at the town's Freescale Semiconductor plant.

For further information please contact Unite Regional Senior Industrial Officer Jimmy Farrelly on +44(0)7810-157903.

For further information please contact Unite Regional Senior Industrial Officer Jimmy Farrelly on +44(0)7810-157903.