Sony cuts 300 jobs

Electronics giant Sony is to axe 300 jobs at two UK TV plants in the face of a relentless rise in the sale of flat screen TVs, it said today.

The Japanese company supplies the UK with traditional-style cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs from factories in Bridgend and nearby Pencoed, south Wales.

The UK market has seen a dramatic shift towards new flat screen TVs, which now account for 50% of the market in value.

Bosses at Sony have been forced to axe workers as a result and believes demand for CRT TVs will fall further.

But the company also foresees continued demand for CRT TVs on the continent, particularly eastern Europe.

“The move away from CRT-based TVs accelerated last year with flat panel products now accounting for around half the UK market by value,” a spokesman said today.

“Sales of larger screen CRT TVs actually fell last year and is predicted to continue to fall year on year. This change in customer preference has had a major impact on demand for products produced at our factories in South Wales and we have to reassess the resources we need to deploy to meet market demand.

“We have reluctantly concluded that we will have to reduce the number of people we employ in South Wales to reflect the changing market environment. Having analysed the market across Europe and the UK we have reluctantly decided that a reduction of around 300 jobs is necessary.”

The spokesman added the move would “protect the economic viability of the operation and enable it to continue to produce CRTs and TVs at competitive pricing levels”.

He added that the workforce at both south Wales plants had been informed of the situation and consultation was under way.

He said the cutbacks were in no way a reflection on the workforce. Every effort would be made to achieve voluntary staff.