UNITED KINGDOM (From the Yorkshire Post) -- Trade Union Unite said telephone book printers RR Donnelley, based in North Yorkshire, is set to close at the end of the year with a "devastating" loss of about 200 jobs.

Unite, the country's largest union, said it is due to have talks with the management at the Flaxby plant in a bid to secure as many jobs as possible and to ascertain the causes for the closure.

Unite regional officer Chris Daly said: "This is a bitter blow for the workforce and their families as well as the local economy. These are well-paid jobs that are under threat and won't be easily replicated in rural North Yorkshire.

"We are due to have a meeting with the management next week - the day has yet to be confirmed - with a view to securing the best deal possible for our members. Obviously, we would like to secure all the jobs under threat."
US-based Donnelley, which could not be contacted for comment, prints telephone directories for the UK and foreign markets.

"This is an American-owned company and one of the avenues we will be discussing is redeployment to another of its sites in the UK," said Mr Daly
"We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to support our members at what is a traumatic time for them."