Union and company chiefs at Wade Ceramics are due to re-open talks next week which are expected to lead to job losses.

Workers at the Burslem firm also fear a four-day week will be brought in as the company seeks to cut back on production.

Both Wade and and pottery union CATU say discussions are on-going and so they cannot comment.
However, redundancies have been predicted ever since parent group Beauford announced last month it needs to cut costs at Wade.

Beauford says the business has suffered because of a fall in demand for its whisky flagons.
UK whisky producers have seen a drop off in orders from key markets in the Far East because of the economic problems there.

Beauford chief executive Edward Duke said: ‘‘All I can say is that, as a plc, we have issued a profits warning because of the strong pound and problems in the Far East.

‘‘We are not seeing any respite, therefore we are having to take steps to compensate for the reduced turnover in those markets.’’

Mr Duke revealed a number of 12-week redundancy notices have already been handed out at another subsidiary, Allied Insulators in Milton.
But the company is hoping to bring in more business and withdraw the redundancy notices, Mr Duke added.

No-one at Allied Insulators was prepared to comment in the absence of managing director Ben Travers.

The setback comes as the pottery industry starts its reporting season, kicking off with the financial results of Waterford Wedgwood on Tuesday. Beauford itself publishes its 1997 financial results on March 26.