IBM Greenock to lay off entire manufacturing staff?

A REPORT ON CEEFAX said that IBM has a "major announcement" to make on staffing levels at its Greenock plant tomorrow. Over 5,500 people work at IBM's plant on the west coast of Scotland.

There are expected to be layoffs, according to Ceefax and according to this Web site, which said that IBM will outsource its Greenock manufacturing work to California.

The news comes as a manufacturer in Scotland confirmed it was shedding 500 jobs. Fullarton Computer claims it cannot compete with Eastern European labour costs.

Fullarton confirmed the layoffs in a statement. It said its Gourock plant, which contracts computer manufacturing, is closing with immediate effect, with 500 jobs going. Its other Scottish sites at Kilwinning, Prestwick, Dundee and Irvine will remain open, it said in a statement.

The workforce at Fullarton Gourock are on a New Year holiday and the site will not reopen.

We are trying to get confirmation from IBM UK on whether it is laying off any staff or not.

A Fullarton representative said: "The electronics industry in Scotland continues to face serious global competition and our Gourock facility has become uncompetitive in the face of lower cost economies in Eastern Europe".

IBM is expected to outsource its PCs to California. Fullarton was one of the companies making PCs for Big Blue.

We are seeking clarification from IBM in the UK at press time, and will update this story accordingly. µ

See Also
The unofficial guide to BBC Ceefax
Screen shots of Stone Age teletext system