London: US automaker Ford is preparing to close its engine plant in south Wales in September 2020 in a "hammer blow" to more than 1,500 workers there, Britain's GMB union said.
The move was to be confirmed at a meeting Thursday between company officials and union leaders, with a formal announcement from Ford expected later in the day.
"We're hugely shocked by today's announcement, it's a real hammer blow for the Welsh economy and the community in Bridgend," GMB regional organiser Jeff Beck said in a statement.
"Regardless of today's announcement GMB will continue to work with Ford, our sister unions and the Welsh government to find a solution to the issue and mitigate the effects of this devastating news." Workers were being given the news at briefings inside the plant and are then expected to leave for the day.
Ford has operated the plant in Bridgend, just west of the Welsh capital Cardiff, for decades and it remains one of the region's major employers.
But the American auto giant announced last month it was cutting 7,000 jobs worldwide -- 10 pc of its global salaried workforce -- as part of a reorganisation.
