Defence firm Qinetiq announces 325 more job cuts
A defence company has confirmed it is in talks with unions over plans to axe a further 325 jobs in the UK.
Last month Qinetiq announced proposals to cut 391 jobs.
The company is now proposing to reduce staff at Boscombe Down, near Salisbury, by about 135 people due to the "challenging business environment".
It proposes shedding about 70 jobs at its base in Farnborough, Hampshire and about 30 at Malvern, Worcestershire, on top of cuts already announced.
On 6 July the company, which employs more than 6,000 staff in the UK, said about 130 jobs could be cut in Farnborough, Hampshire, and about 230 jobs could go in Malvern.
It said about 30 more jobs cuts would be spread across its UK operations.
The Prospect union represents about 2,000 Qinetiq employees.
Its national secretary David Luxton said: "Qinetiq now has a quarter of its 6,000 employees 'at risk' of redundancy over the coming months, which is both alarming and distressing for over 1,500 highly skilled scientists, engineers and project managers working at the cutting edge of defence technology and future capabilities for the armed forces.
"The scale of the redundancies, which are attributable to Ministry of Defence spending cuts, sharply exposes the vulnerability of private sector jobs to public expenditure cuts."
Qinetiq said it would "work with employees and their representatives to carry out the process in a fair and supportive way".
Its chief executive Leo Quinn said: "In today's challenging business environment we need to ensure that Qinetiq is focussed on its strengths and is fully aligned with the needs of its customers.
"Whilst we must reset our cost base in line with demand, we will continue to maintain a full capability for our customers through our unique understanding of the global aerospace, defence and security markets."
A 90-day consultation started earlier.