Panasonic to shed 1,300 jobs in Wales

More than half the staff at the largest British factory of the Japanese electronics giant Panasonic are to lose their jobs, the company announced yesterday.

More than half the staff at the largest British factory of the Japanese electronics giant Panasonic are to lose their jobs, the company announced yesterday.

Up to 1,300 of the 2,400 workers at the plant in Pentwyn, Cardiff, will be made redundant in cutbacks blamed by Panasonic on Britain's hesitation over joining the European single currency and also on falling prices for electrical goods.

Panasonic's personnel manager, David Fowler, said all 1,800 permanent staff had been offered voluntary redundancy and 1,000 had applied. The company intends to lose 700 permanent workers and 600 temporary staff at Christmas.

The factory will continue to make televisions, microwave ovens and laptop computers. All other production will be moved to a Czech plant.