Business leaders in the Black Country today called for more Government action to help stave off redundancies. They want more cash for training staff.

It is hoped schemes could be backed to enable medium-sized manufacturing firms to move workers from the production line to training schemes, rather than having to lay them off because of the current slump in orders.

The Express & Star told yesterday how Brownhills-based Castings group had been forced to axe 350 staff – a third of the workforce – as production levels fell by 60 per cent.

The job losses had cost the firm itself £2.2 million. Chairman Brian Cooke said: “It would surely have been cheaper for the Government to fund temporary short-time working rather than increasing unemployment.”

Peter Mathews, president of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, backed his comments today.

“I think he is right,” he said. “We need the facility set up for medium-sized companies like this to place workers onto training schemes rather than lose them. The Government has set something similar up for small companies, but not medium-sized ones.

“As a result manufacturing companies are losing trained and experienced people they are going to need when we start to come out of this recession early next year.

“It’s proving very frustrating for management and workforce alike.”

The chamber’s director of policy and lobbying Charlotte Ritchie added: “A lot of our member businesses feel the Government’s actions so far have been too slow and too complicated by red tape.”