A REPORT suggesting that TS Tech intends to leave the UK has been dismissed by senior staff at the Highworth firm.

Business consultant Pernille Rudlin analysed a newly-published article by Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei about the company, which solely supplies car seats to Honda and is expected to be hit hard by the manufacturer closing its Swindon plant in 2021.

She said on Twitter: “Now confirmed in Nikkei that car seat supplier TS Tech is now in negotiations with union about pulling out of UK. 750 jobs.”

An employee at the firm who wanted to remain anonymous claimed to have been told about a proposal to close the company by December 2021.

He said: “We all knew it would happen eventually, it’s coming to the end. I will have to find somewhere else to work.”

But both TS Tech and the union it’s working with both denied that this was the case.

Unite representative John McGookin said: “We had a meeting on Friday and things became a lot clearer.

“We are due to sit down with the company again in January to discuss the severance packages that will prevail as and when they are needed.

“As far as I’m aware, they are not in negotiations with the union about leaving.”

TS Tech spokesman Andy Williams disputed the figure of 750 jobs and emphasised that the firm only employed 410 people.

Mr Williams also told the Adver that the situation at the company had not changed since he released a statement in response to our previous story about the firm

That statement read: “We have seen significant challenges in the automotive industry globally, as has our main customer Honda.

“We are working hard to find new customers, and although initial proposals have been well received we have to prepare for every eventuality.

“We are a close-knit business so it is incredibly difficult to think about this, but we have to consult on the future of our plant at Highworth and consider redundancies amongst our family of 410 associates.

“No final decision has been made and we are committed to consulting both individually and collectively with all our associates and Unite the union on this proposal to explore our options and to support them in every way we can through this uncertain time,

“This includes a commitment to redundancy payments significantly in excess of statutory entitlement.

“We will continue to provide high-quality products to our customers and maintain the standards for which we are known during this period, and want to put on record our thanks to our associates for their ongoing commitment.”