Lay-offs at tool makers

The company Abeco Ltd is laying off 40 per cent of its employees after it lost one of its major clients, the General Workers' Union said yesterday.

The Polish-owned company, which produces tools, employed 28 workers and has been operating in Malta since 1970.

The news was announced to the workers by the management yesterday.

The company has been going through a difficult patch for a while now, so much so that after talks with the GWU, the employees had agreed to work a four-day week.

The Manufacture and Small and Medium Industries section of the union has been in discussion for years to avoid the redundancies, it said. These intensified over the last year when the company's situation continued to deteriorate.