The cable manufacturer, based in Eastleigh in the south of England, plans to cut around 40 jobs, moving production to Romania.
The Unite union is rallying behind the workforce, condemning the move as a “disgraceful,” with a consultative ballot to gauge workers' support for industrial action underway.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Hugely profitable Prysmian’s disgraceful plans are the ugly and irresponsible face of corporate greed. It admits its Bishopstoke operations are successful, yet it plans to throw loyal and hardworking staff under the bus to squeeze out as much extra cash as it can.
“Prysmian’s Bishopstoke workforce have Unite’s total backing in fighting against these abhorrent plans.”
Prysmian manufactures copper and fibre cables for voice, video and data transmission. It has been manufacturing cables at the 46-acre site in Bishopstoke since 1967, currently employing around 250 people.
Unite said the firm wants to move production for cables that are “primarily for BT” to Eastern Europe to reduce labour costs, despite the firm previously telling the union that the site was profitable.
Unite regional officer Malcolm Bonnett said: “Prysmian’s anti-worker plans are about greed, not need, and must be scrapped. Unite will be lobbying BT to ensure it steps in and demands that its cables, which are used in the UK, are produced in the UK.”
Capacity has contacted Prysmian for comment.
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