HONDA has moved to reassure workers that a shake-up in production will not lead to job losses.

Workers contacted the Evening Advertiser after being told that a nightshift at the car giant's South Marston manufacturing plant was being axed because of poor sales.

But the company, currently in talks with union bosses over pay, reassured the 900 workers affected that there will be no job losses, redundancies or cuts in hours.

Some production at one factory is being shifted to another plant on the site to improve efficiency, according to Honda.

Models including the Civic and CR-V are produced at two plants, and both currently operate on a two-shift basis.

Honda spokesman, Jason Gowar, said: "One shift will be going at Plant Two, which will now operate on one shift."

Excess workers from Plant Two will be absorbed into the other facility, where production will be pushed to maximum rate.

Hours for these workers have yet to be decided.

Mr Gowar said the changes would secure jobs for the future at the Swindon site, which produced its one millionth car last month.

He added: "We will be as flexible as we possibly can in changing working hours."

A downturn in European sales of the Honda Civic has been blamed for the changes, being introduced on June 2, as well as the need to improve efficiency.

Production of the Civic at Plant Two will run at half its capacity, requiring a dayshift only.

Some workers will lose the bonus they currently receive for working unsociable hours.

Jim D'Avila, regional director of manufacturing union Amicus, said this meant it was even more important for a pay settlement to be reached. Talks with the conciliatory service ACAS are due to start again on Tuesday.

The plant has accumulated losses of £400 million over the past 10 years because of inefficiency.

Honda employee, Tony Nicholls, from Rodbourne, is angry at the way the changes were communicated in a memo to the 4,300 staff in Swindon yesterday.

He said it was not made clear that jobs were secure. "It was handled very badly," he said. "They told us there would be changes but didn't say what they meant. They are playing with people's lives."

Despite a poor performance in Europe, Honda is forecasting record overall production in Swindon for the coming year, with 190,000 cars produced, up 7.5 per cent on last year.