A HIGH-tech Vale company which has been a national success story of the dot.com revolution is axeing posts in a shake-up following its takeover of a Wales-based firm.

Evesham Technology, on Vale Park, is scrapping its human resources (HR) department, as well as some other clerical positions, after acquiring Mertec, of Swansea.

Duplication of the HR function is blamed for the decision, which was announced to employees on Tuesday.

The company would not confirm that employees would be made redundant, saying the Mertec acquisition would create other jobs.

Evesham Technology, which has 589 full-time equivalent employees - 400 of them at Vale Park - has also come under fire from the GMB union, which has been trying to persuade the company to recognise it as representative of employees, although the firm has dismissed the criticism.

Officers of the GMB have been handing out leaflets to Evesham Technology employees as they have arrived for and left work at the company's Vale Park headquarters in recent days as part of the campaign for recognition.

Carolyn Worth, PA to Evesham Technology managing director Richard Austin, said: "We're in the process of negotiation with our staff. Some posts have been lost but we have vacancies and we're discussing the staff redeployment."

She explained there were operations within Evesham Technology and Mertec that were "very, very similar", meaning the business was "having to restructure", to make best use of each of the companies.

She added: "The situation is that we already have enough posts for the number of people whose roles have been made redundant and we're in the process of consultation with the employees and there are enough posts available.

"But, obviously, they may not be posts that people who have fulfilled other jobs might be happy to take but that's their decision."

Mrs Worth described Mertec as a similar company to Evesham Technology but "very, very specialised" in a particular market in Wales that the Vale firm was interested in entering.

The GMB made a presentation to Evesham Technology last week in its bid for on-site recognition - before the company's restructuring announcement - and has been critical of the way the announcement has been handled.

Mrs Worth, however, said: "Regarding the GMB, we haven't had the further information from them and, ultimately, union recognition will be something at the behest of our employees and not the company."