About 170 workers are to be made redundant at an engineering firm in Kilmarnock.
Staff at Mahle Engine Systems UK Ltd, a supplier to the automotive industry, were told on Wednesday morning that part of the finishing unit at the site would be closed by the end of January next year.
The German-owned company said the "difficult market environment and associated overcapacity in the area of bearings production" meant it was consolidating its European bearings plants.
The company employs 400 staff at its Kilmarnock factory.
Matthias Langbein, director bearings Europe, stated he "deeply regrets the effect this proposal may have on employees and their families, and the community at large".
He added: "However, the current status is not sustainable. The company will now enter into a period of collective consultation with its trade union concerning the proposal."
Mahle makes products for combustion engines and their peripherals as well as for electric vehicles.
Unite regional officer Jim Winter said: "This is a devastating development. We have been told by management over the last 18 months that the future of the site's various operations were not under threat.
"Today we have been providing support for our members and will continue to do so over the coming days. We demand an immediate meeting with Mahle's directors to establish why this has happened despite their previous denials.
"Once again we are in a situation where British workers are told without any meaningful consultation they are out of a job, thanks in no small part to our abject employment laws. We cannot go on like this."
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