AN ELECTRONICS firm has delivered a hammer blow to its Inverclyde employees by announcing plans to axe at least 40 jobs — cutting its workforce by a FIFTH.

Bosses at Sanmina in Port Glasgow delivered the bombshell announcement to staff at the Ardgowan Street factory on Wednesday afternoon.

An insider told the Tele that the devastating news was given during an emergency meeting lasting just five minutes, and said shocked staff were banned from asking questions.

It is understood the company has now started a 30-day consultation period with a view to shedding at least 40 posts — a fifth of the 200-strong workforce.

The American firm’s proposals also include altering shift patterns to avoid paying staff an allowance.

It is the latest jobs blow for Inverclyde following on from a recent announcement by electronics company Texas Instruments that it is to wind up its Greenock operation over the next three years with the loss of 365 posts.

One stunned worker told the Tele: “Sanmina is in a 30-day consultation period with potentially 40 plus redundancies. Around 200 people currently work across two shifts.

“It’s a sad day for Inverclyde considering staff at Texas Instruments are going through a similar situation.”

Sanmina, now based at Kingston Industrial Estate in the Port, does cable assembly work for high-end motor companies including Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover.

The new jobs blow is the latest in a long line.

The firm was previously based at Spango Valley in Greenock —now Valleypark — where it had a manufacturing base but that shut down 10 years ago with the loss of almost 400 jobs.

Work was instead moved to the company’s eastern European base in Hungary.

Now staff at the Port factory are facing fresh misery.

Another Sanmina employee said: “Shows you what the firm is like when they announced redundancies in a five minute meeting where nobody was allowed to ask any questions.

“They obviously don’t give a damn about us.”

A co-worker claims the move is a result of the new higher rate ‘National Living Wage’ introduced by the UK Government at the start of this month.

He said: “Sanmina are paying off people and moving both shifts to day shift so they don’t have to pay shift allowance now that they have to pay the so-called living wage.”

Another concerned employee added: “I wonder when we’ll find out who is going. I remember the last time sitting on the line waiting on your name to get called to go into the office, it was very stressful.

“I felt sick for some friends.”

The Tele contacted the Port factory for a comment but we were told to contact Sanmina HQ in California, USA.

We made contact with the American head office but there has so far been no response.