ELECTRONICS firm Viasystems has announced up to 850 job losses at two UK factories on Tyneside.
The firm blames a continued downturn in the global electronics market.
Viasystems said up to 525 jobs will go at its factory in Longbenton, North Tyneside, and a further 325 redundancies will take place at its plant in South Shields, South Tyneside.
Both factories build electronic circuit boards for goods ranging from cars to computers.
A spokesman for the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union said: "This is a major blow to manufacturing in the North-East.
"It underlines the fragile nature of manufacturing throughout the country." Union officials were meeting their members today ahead of the expected announcement.
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