BAE to shed close to 3,000 posts

26 September 2011 Last updated at 14:10 ET

Nearly 3,000 jobs will be cut by BAE Systems on Tuesday, with three plants worst hit, the BBC has learnt.

Brough in East Yorkshire will lose 900 jobs, Warton in Lancashire will lose 822 jobs and Samlesbury, also in Lancashire, will lose 565 jobs.

A further 655 jobs will be lost at smaller s too, taking the final figure to 2,942, the BBC understands.

Unions have called for urgent talks after weekend reports that the UK’s biggest defence firm was to cut jobs.

BAE would not comment on job cuts, but said it had reviewed operations to ensure it was performing “efficiently”.

The company said in a statement on Monday: “Whilst there has been a lot of media speculation it has always been our intention to communicate the results of the review to employees as a priority, and this will take place on Tuesday, 27 September.”

The Unite union said the fact BAE was planning to cut jobs would “be a hammer blow to the UK defence industry, which is already reeling with the consequences of the government’s ‘buy off the shelf’ policy”.

Job cuts at BAE Systems Warton would have a huge impact on the local economy, said Fylde MP Mark Menzies.

“Everyone knows somebody who works at BAE Systems,” he said. “It will also have a huge impact on businesses from local hotels to taxis.”

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy called for a fast response from ministers.

“The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy,” he said.

The Ministry of Defence said it had no comment.

BAE Systems currently employs just under 100,000 staff globally, of which 40,000 are in the UK.

Last December, the company said it was planning 1,400 job losses across all operations, including s in Hampshire, Greater Manchester and Somerset.

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