'Step in right direction' for Massey workers

The factory is due to close in June next year

Unions representing workers at the Massey Ferguson plant are claiming a "significant breakthrough" in talks with the owners over closure plans.

American company Agco has agreed to look again and see if any of the 1,000 positions at its Banner Lane plant in Coventry can be saved.

Unions described the move as a "significant" development but workers will have to wait a further two weeks to find out if jobs can be saved.

Peter Booth, from the Transport and General Workers Union, said at this stage it is only an objective for the company to save the jobs.

Rationalisation plan

He told BBC Radio WM: "We put a time of two to three weeks to have the study completed.

"This is the first step in the right direction now. All the other steps have been in the wrong direction.

"But it is by no means the end of the process."

Last month, workers at the plant voted against accepting a redundancy offer made by Agco.

They voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action over the decision to shut the factory.

The plant is due to close next June.

Agco, the world's third largest manufacturer of farm machinery, has said the closure is part of a "major manufacturing rationalisation plan" in Europe.

It maintains the factory cannot compete with cheaper imports from Europe, and is only running at 50% of its capacity.

However, union leaders claim the plant is successful and has a full order book.