Jobs in danger at Siemens plant in Hebburn

Around 90 staff at a major engineering company have been told their jobs could be going to Goa.

The news was revealed to workers yesterday at the Siemens plant in North Farm Road, Hebburn, South Tyneside.

Staff at Siemens Protection Devices, which employs 150 people, were told their work could be transferred to another company site in Goa, India.

Increased international competition in the energy protection market has been blamed for the move.

Although no jobs are under threat in the short-term, some redundancies could take effect over the next year.

However, bosses at Siemens have stressed that work on the massive £1.6bn Thameslinkcontract, set to create 300 jobs at the Hebburn plant, will not be affected by the proposal and that the long-term future of the site is secure.

The cuts are the result of the findings of what the German-owned company has called "global strategic review,” aimed at making the business “competitive in the future".

The GMB and Unite unions will be involved in formal consultation on any potential redundancies.