Mitsubishi's UK staff await fate

UK employees of Mitsubishi Electric were left uncertain of their jobs yesterday when its Japanese parent said it was axing 14,500 jobs but gave no details. The televisions-to-elevators group announced a three- year reform plan, including 8,000 job cuts in Japan and 6,000 abroad. Mitsubishi, facing its second year of losses, has been hit by the chip slump and Japanese and Asian economic woes.

Three weeks ago the group said it was closing its Apricot computer plant in Glenrothes, costing 200 jobs. Mitsubishi's advisers in the UK said they had not been told of the announcement by the parent company and declined to give any indication of the likely scale of job losses.