AN emergency meeting was held this week between MPs and company directors after the decision was made to axe 500 jobs at an electrical distribution centre in Runcorn.
Mike Hall, MP for Weaver Vale, joined Halton MP Derek Twigg in talks with senior management on Friday after it was announced the Hagemeyer plant at Manor Park was shutting down.
It was hoped something could be done to salvage the mass job losses. However, the forced redundancies are still scheduled to take place once a 90-day consultation process is complete.
The factory is considered too unstable to remain open following yearly cash losses, a series of logistical problems and a computer crash in 2002 which added to dwindling profits.
Although workers are being encouraged to relocate to a depot in Warrington, there will only be 120 jobs.
However, Mr Hall said the company appeared to be doing everything possible to signpost workers towards job opportunities and help stem the losses.
Mr Hall said: 'Derek Twigg and myself attended a meeting with a couple of people and it was explained to us how they are losing business and money.
'Unfortunately the national distribution centre in Runcorn is not sustainable and they have got to change the way they conduct the business.
'The directors are now aiming to improve the skills of their workforce. They are being given on-line access to jobs and fork-lift truck training to help them find new jobs.'
The Dutch-owned company will close the warehouse on September 1, while bosses concentrate on their regional depots.
A spokesman for Hagemeyer said the company had done more than its statutory requirements to assist people back into work.
