MANUFACTURING giant Gtech has refused to comment on an apparent “sweeping” redundancy programme, said to be creating a “great deal of uncertainty” at the Worcester-based firm.

A source has told the Worcester News that a team of eight research and development staff were given notice last Wednesday (October 17) that their positions are being made redundant.

Those being cut are said to include electronics and software engineers, as well as compliance managers – adding to further reported redundancies in the technical and marketing departments in March.

This comes on the back of another wave of recent “high profile departures”, according to the source, with “almost the entire board of directors either moving on or also having been made redundant.”

In the last few months, the finance director, international sales director, purchasing director, HR director and technical director have also all left the business, the source claimed.

The alleged cuts have left a “great deal of uncertainty and a feeling of who’s next among the remaining staff,” said the source, before describing an “increasing amount of vacant desks” at the firm’s Warndon offices.

In February, Gtech founder and CEO Nick Grey announced plans for more than 100 new jobs by shifting some of its manufacturing operations back to the UK.

The Spetchley-born entrepreneur said part of production would be moved from China to Worcester, with an eye to start manufacturing on home soil in 2019.

That news came as the company pressed ahead with a global expansion into eight new territories across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Regarding new jobs in Worcester, however, the source said the “opposite actually seems to be true.”

They said the alleged job cuts in March came despite the company “continuing to report an apparently healthy sales outlook”.

“Uncertainty continues and the reorganisation continues at pace and it’s likely that the job cutting exercise has not yet come to a conclusion with the exit door continuing to spin,” they added.

A spokeswoman for the company said: “Gtech have grown rapidly over the last few years, with staff numbers growing from 17 to well over 200. With such rapid growth it is sometimes necessary to restructure and reorganise parts of the business to remain flexible and adapt to market conditions.”

Asked about the accuracy of the source’s claims, the spokeswoman said the company did not wish to comment.

Gtech moved into a new 30,000 sq ft HQ on Shire Business Park in 2016, pledging its long-term future to the city.

The move was a significant boost for Worcester’s economy as Gtech was potentially considering leaving the city altogether due to problems in finding a suitable location.