We can't pay you, Daewoo tells workers

Hundreds of workers at the main British factory of the Korean car maker Daewoo were yesterday told that the company did not have enough money to pay their wages.

Hundreds of workers at the main British factory of the Korean car maker Daewoo were yesterday told that the company did not have enough money to pay their wages.

Some 750 staff at the Daewoo Technical Centre in Worthing, West Sussex received letters explaining that new funding arrangements with the group's creditors were under way following a breakdown of negotiations for a takeover by Ford.

The South Korean conglomerate was placed under a restructuring programme a year ago after reporting debts running into billions of pounds.

It was the fourth time in recent months that salaries were not paid on time and staff were said to be "outraged". Manufacturing Science and Finance Union officials were seeking urgent talks with the company and with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.