JOBS are set to be lost from one of the region's MFI bedroom and kitchen furniture factories, it was revealed yesterday.

But union leaders last night said that after talks with the company, the number of job losses at the MFI Hygena plant on Stockton's Preston Farm Industrial Estate, Teesside, appeared to have been reduced from 45 to 28.

Initially, MFI said it wanted to cut 45 jobs from the factory, which employs more than 700 people.

But Allan Gray, district industrial organiser for the TGWU, said yesterday that following talks between the union and the company, that number had been cut.

He said: "Negotiations with management have cut that number, and we hope to reduce it even further when we meet for further talks on Monday.

"We will also then have a more accurate account of the numbers of people who want to take voluntary redundancy.

"They have had a downturn in orders and they are looking to reschedule shifts. After discussing the matter with them, changing shift patterns and people willingly accepting job share options, we have managed to get the number of redundancies down to 28."

No one from MFI was available for comment.