THE axe is set to fall on more than 400 jobs at a Bolton battery factory today.

Union chiefs said last night that management at Exide Technologies had confirmed the factory will close in six weeks.

Production will move to Germany, with just a small on-site centre, employing about 18 workers, remaining open for up to a year.

Today’s expected announcement will mark the worst day for job losses in Bolton since the UK was officially confirmed as being in recession.

Bosses at US-owned Exide refused to comment on the closure last night, saying an official statement would be released today.

Union leaders, who have led a workers’ campaign to keep the Over Hulton-based factory open, have spoken of their disappointment.

David Farrar, of Unite, said: “This has come as a total shock. We have not even agreed the terms and conditions of the redundancy package. The overwhelming majority of people will leave here on August 28 with about 30 staying on for the remainder of the six weeks during the wind down.

“Earlier, we had put forward our own business plan which would have involved 100 job losses and short-time working whereby staff would have worked three weeks and had a week off every month. But the company wasn’t prepared to listen to that.

“Amazingly, at a Spanish factory owned by Exide, they’ve just agreed a two month lay-off. It seems Over Hulton is being treated differently.”

Exide is an American-owned global power solutions company and the Over Hulton site in Salford Road produces batteries under the CMP brand name.

Furious workers believe the company is closing the site because British redundancy payments are some of the lowest in Europe.

They have pointed to the huge payments given to the company’s workers in Auxerre in France who received payoffs ranging from €50,000 to €150,000. In contrast, their English colleagues could come away with as little as £350 for every year worked.

Battery assembler and father-of-three Barry Youds, who has worked at the plant for 16 years, said: “It’s terrible news. When I joined, I thought I had a job for life. I’ve never been unemployed. The last month or so has been very depressing.”

Fellow worker and box cutter John Rawlinson, aged 54, added: “We’ve suspected the closure from day one. I’ve worked here for 23 years and I think everyone will be applying for the jobs which are to remain here.

“But at my age, I’m probably less likely to get a job than someone else much younger than me.”

A three-month consultation period was launched when the proposals were first announced, which ends today.

John Hamnet who has worked at the plant for 12 years, said: “This facility has been producing batteries for worldwide industry for 35 years. It is one of the most productive and profitable plants in the Exide group.”

A company spokesman said: “The collective consultation period at Exide’s Over Hulton facility, projected to conclude by August 4, is still ongoing. The company continues to work with union and elected representatives with a view to reaching agreement on the proposal.

“At the conclusion of the collective consultation process, the company will communicate the outcome of the collective consultation process to its employees and advise on the next steps and the future of the Over Hulton operation.”