LONDON, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite, Scotland's largest trade union has condemned management at Freescale Semiconductors after they announced a buyer could not be found to continue production at the East Kilbride plant.

Up to 900 skilled jobs now look under severe threat at the plant which produces embedded chips to provide intelligence for products ranging from car engines to mobile phones. It is also further bad news for the local economy following the recent announcement by JVC that they will move manufacturing operations to Poland at the cost of another 900 skilled posts.

Jimmy Farrelly, Unite Senior Industrial Officer, said, "The announcement comes as no surprise but Unite has continuously asked Freescale to come clean over the future of plant for more than a year now. Despite management claims that they were actively looking for a buyer to save the plant there has been an unacceptable veil of secrecy over their actions.

"The workforce deserve so much better given the loyalty and hard-work they have shown down the years. This is an extremely worrying time for the hundreds of workers and their families who will bear the brunt of this the most.

"It would also be another savage blow to the Scottish manufacturing sector and exacerbate the difficulties facing the Lanarkshire economy which is already reeling from a succession of large-scale job losses.

The Scottish Government must take immediate action to develop a proper strategy for sustainable, skilled employment in area that has been ravaged by the decline of manufacturing."

Freescale was spun out of Motorola in 2004 which had been manufacturing at East Kilbride since 1969. The company was acquired in 2006 by the venture capitalist groups, Blackstone, Texas Pacific, Carlyle & Permira.

For further information please contact Unite - the Union Senior Regional Industrial Officer Jimmy Farrelly on +44(0)7810157903