A LAST-DITCH bid was being prepared today to save some of the 80 jobs which are being axed by Portakabin at its York site.

Brian Anderson, York regional industrial organiser for the Transport & General Workers' Union, will call on management of the modular buildings manufacturing company to use the workforce "more flexibly."

Portakabin announced last Friday that the jobs, primarily in sales and manufacturing, would have to go by the end of this month because of market conditions, with orders below levels that they should be.

The cuts, following 20 job losses in sales last September, mean that the numbers at the New Lane, Huntington site will be slashed from 800 to 720.

Talks between the unions and the management on how best to avoid compulsory redundancies are due to take place tomorrow.

But Mr Anderson is hopeful that some jobs can be saved. He said: "There are four production lines, one of which is working flat out seven days a week with as much overtime as required. The other three are suffering from lack of work.

"We may be able to come to an agreement to reduce the numbers affected and come up with a formula where the workforce can be more flexibly used."

This was one idea which Mr Anderson was today putting to Portakabin's works council before going in to talks with management tomorrow.

Meanwhile Tony Bennett, assistant director for economic development for the City of York Council, expressed his "obvious disappointment."

He said: "We are going to have to follow this up with the company in more detail to see if we can be of some support."

These could include help from Future Prospects for staff to find new jobs and, if necessary, skills.

"But we hope the losses can be achieved by avoiding compulsory redundancies."

Talks were also taking place today between trade unions and the management of Nestl Rowntree inYork in an effort to minimise compulsory redundancies among the 220 jobs set to be axed there over the next 18 months. Managerial, supervisory and technical support jobs should go if the conclusion of a review of manufacturing and production costs within Nestl UK is carried out.

Updated: 10:41 Monday, September 01, 2003