UNION officials are meeting managers at a North-East defence plant in a bid to preserve members' jobs.

Trade union representatives have less than two months to put the case to Royal Ordnance (RO) management to salvage the jobs of the 300-strong workforce at the shell casings plant at Birtley, between Chester-le-Street and Gateshead.

Owner BAe is examining the viability of all its munitions plants, and plans to make its findings known in February.

The end of the Cold War has resulted in a drop in demand for all armaments, including shell casings, while Ministry of Defence competitive tendering policies for munitions supplies have also hit business. BAe announced earlier this week that it was involved in a consultation exercise with unions represented at the plant, including the GMB, the AEEU, and the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists.

The largest of the unions is the GMB, with about 150 members at Birtley.

Steve Tompkins, the GMB regional officer with responsibility for the RO factory, said that the union's shop stewards were in the process of setting up consultation meetings at the plant.

"We're trying to resolve this internally. We've agreed that's how we'll try to handle it," he said.

"But if that breaks down, there may be other avenues to go down.

"I've only just taken over responsibility for the plant recently, but the news came as a shock.

"We've been trying to work together to come to an agreement at least to some sort of damage-limitation exercise, and at the moment the shop stewards are trying to sort this out and arrange meetings.

"I'm hoping to meet members some time next week to bring everyone up to date with the situation.

"Once we hear anything we'll let the members know."

A workforce of about 1,000 was employed at Birtley until the factory was privatised and sold to BAe, in 1987.