UNIONS fighting to save the jobs of hundreds of workers at a Tyneside power generation business were this morning meeting with management.

Dave Harrison, regional organiser for the Amicus/AEEU union, representing about 700 staff at Siemens Power Generation in Shields Road, Newcastle, was meeting with senior managers to discuss plans to cut 400 jobs.

It follows a mass meeting with the workforce yesterday to discuss plans for the future of the site.

It is believed unions are not ruling out industrial action over the plans to cut the jobs, in the belief that Siemens plans to transfer some work to other plants in Europe.

The job losses, due to take place by 2004, would see production of steam turbines at the plant come to an end, after more than 100 years.

In its heyday in the 1960s Parsons employed more than 12,000 people.

The remaining 300 jobs at the plant would be maintained to manufacture service products for customers.

Siemens is blaming a downturn in the global market for power generation systems for the losses.

Speaking before his meeting with management, Mr Harrison said: "The workforce has been left numb by this announcement. We knew there wasn't much work around for the business at the moment, but we were not expecting this."

He added: "We are hopefully entering into meaningful negotiations with management today on ways to lessen the job losses.

"We are also seeking assurances about the future of the plant following contradictory information about the transfer of component manufacturing to other European operations, which has been coming out of the US.

"This makes us suspicious and even more concerned for the future of the workforce at the plant."

Meanwhile, Minister for Work and Newcastle East MP Nick Brown has agreed to meet with the company to discuss the situation. No date has been set.

MEP for the North-East, Dr Barbara O'Toole yesterday joined Newcastle City Council in requesting DTI special assistance for the workforce of Siemens.

In a letter to Patricia Hewitt, Minister for Trade and Industry, she expressed her concern about the potential job losses.

She said: "Clearly this is going to have a marked impact on family incomes and on the local economy - and just at a time when Newcastle's future is looking very much up."