Nearly 40 Jobs Could Be Lost at Power Tool Giant Makita in Telford

Nearly 40 jobs could be lost at power tool giant Makita in Telford which is facing a ‘restructuring’ initiative brought in to cope with the impact of the global economy. Under the plans, manufacturing of motors and tools at Makita Manufacturing Europe, which has been based in Telford for about 20 years, will be transferred to Romania. The Telford base will be a ‘high-class’ assembly company with work transferred from head office in Japan for the European market. Bosses hope any job cuts will be found through voluntary redundancies. Paul Harris, managing director, said: “Outside influences have affected our business, like the Lehman crash and the euro crisis. “We have incurred costs outside our control, ranging from the euro weakening our revenue, as 90 per cent of goods produced in Telford are exported, to an increase in our electricity costs. “These issues have guided us to move part of our manufacturing section to one of our companies in Europe. Richard Annett, head of human resources, said: “We are looking at ways of minimising the necessity for redundancy.” Stefan Blasczyk, for Unite union, said: “Unite has not got a recognised agreement with MME. They have elected shop floor representatives and are now consulting with them.” Source: Shropshire Star