ROLLS Royce has announced it will close its plant in Bootle with the loss of more than 200 highly skilled jobs.

The decision comes after a 90 day consultation during which workers have presented alternative business plans for the profitable plant and local MPs and Ministers have intervened with the company on the workers behalf.

Staff say it became obvious through the consultation process that the company had already made up its mind.

The decision comes after a 90 day consultation during which the workers have presented alternative business plans for the profitable plant and local MPs and Ministers have intervened with the company on the workers behalf.

The workers say that it became obvious through the consultation process that the company had already made up its mind.

Rolls Royce says that redundancies will start as early as April this year with complete closure by the beginning of 2009.

Debbie Brannan, Unite Regional officer for Rolls Royce, said: “Our members are devastated by this news and angry that the company seem to have been dead-set on closure from the very beginning.

”We are convinced that Rolls Royce’s real motivation is to shift this work to non-unionised plants and undercut workers pay to award themselves even greater profits. This should not be allowed to be done off the backs of loyal and hard working employees and Rolls Royce should consider that it profits to the tune of many billions of pounds from lucrative contracts from the UK government.

“We will now be calling on the government to intervene with the company to see if it can change the company’s decision and we will be holding a mass meeting with all our members tomorrow to decide on a strategy to challenge it. We will not rule out the possibility of taking industrial action.”

The Rolls Royce Bootle workers have been campaigning to save the plant since the company announced its closure proposals in November. Their efforts have included meetings with local MPs and government ministers, a 20,000 signature petition which they presented to the Prime Minister and coordinated support and protests with workers from other Rolls Royce plants.

Hundreds of people are expected to march in support of Rolls Royce Bootle workers in Liverpool city centre this Saturday

For the full story and reaction see tomorrow’s Liverpool Daily Post.