MORE than 100 workers are being told they are out of a job because not enough people volunteered for redundancy.

In late January, bosses at defence giant BAE Systems, Rochester, said 230 jobs were at risk.

About 120 workers stepped forward for voluntary redundancy but no more were forthcoming.

In the past fortnight the avionics company has been handing out compulsory redundancies. It has meant an agonising two-month wait for staff who hoped they would not be the ones chosen for the axe.

All the 110 or so workers in question will be out of work by Tuesday, April 26.

A company spokesman said those losing their jobs would be offered redundancy packages more generous than the legal requirement.

BAE Systems, one of Medway’s largest employers, has a workforce of around 2,000.

Managing director Mike Austill, said: "For some time we have been aware that we are approaching a potential imbalance between our workload and the workforce of Avionics Systems.

"We have failed to win a number of key programmes both military and civil that have been awarded to our competitors.

"In addition, some important opportunities have now either been removed from our forecasts or are taking longer than originally anticipated to come to fruition."

He said the redundancy decision had not been taken lightly and the defence firm, in City Way, has drafted in recruitment experts RightCoutts, who are helping the doomed workers look for alternative employment.