Rival Wood Group says move will provide greater flexibility - but bosses have hinted at job changes

Amec Foster Wheeler, which is one of Darlington’s largest employers, says investors have backed the latter’s approach.

Wood Group says the acquisition will give it greater flexibility in the offshore energy sector.

However, fears have been raised over possible cuts to Amec’s workforce, which include back office staff in payroll operations, after Wood Group admitted it will make operational and administrative changes.

The Echo has also been contacted by people who say some Amec staff have already been released.

The update comes after the Echo last year revealed the firm was looking at plans to send some jobs to India

However, both companies have long insisted no final decisions have yet been made on personnel, instead saying they are focused on ensuring all necessary approvals are in place.

And a spokesman has contacted the Echo to stress no redundancies have been made as a result of the deal.

Wood Group previously confirmed it believes its plan will save at least £150m annually by the end of the third year following completion.

A third of the changes are expected to come from office closures and cuts to duplicate IT systems and support services.

Bosses say their figures take into account Amec’s finance and HR operations shifting to Wood Group, which is known for managing operations at the Central Area Transmission System gas terminal, in Seal Sands, near Billingham.