AEROSPACE firm Rolls-Royce has announced plans to shed nearly 400 jobs at one of its plants, a union has claimed.

The firm is consulting on losing the jobs at the Ansty site, near Coventry, in the Midlands, according to trade union Unite.

The announcement puts 378 jobs at risk, the union says, adding that staff were informed of the plans in an internal memo.

Unite has also claimed Rolls-Royce is proposing to shut the plant in the next few years.

Ian Waddell, Unite’s national officer for aerospace and shipbuilding, said: “The blame for the loss of these highly-skilled jobs in the key defence sector lies with the Government and its short-sighted determination to ram through massive spending cuts in the defence budget.

“Once again, Unite calls for a coherent defence industrial strategy to be drawn up as a matter of urgency to safeguard jobs and a defence industry at which Britain excels.

“There is a very long timescale for consultation and implementation, so we hope that compulsory redundancies will be avoided.

“However, the underlying reason for the job losses is the Government’s defence spending cuts announced a couple of years ago.

“The scrapping of the Harrier jump jet fleet, for instance, has led to redundancies at the Ansty factory, which will close.

“Meanwhile, work from Germany will be transferred to Rolls-Royce’s site at Bristol.

“Unite will be seeking an early meeting with management to discuss the implications for our members and we will taking every step to safeguard their employment now and in the future.”

He said bosses at Rolls-Royce had acted fairly by giving as much notice as possible of the company’s plans to shut the plant.