A SOUTHAMPTON ship refit and repair company planning to axe all its 57 remaining shop floor staff may be acting illegally, according to unions.

Bosses of A&P have been accused of having a "cavalier attitude" and of treating loyal workers with "absolute contempt".

Unions have turned up the heat on management, branding the redundancy programme a "sham" and an excuse to re-hire staff on different terms.

A&P Southampton managing director David Parry said the company was acting in "good faith" and was trying to save as many jobs as possible as it adjusted to the demands of a "feast and famine" industry.

Workers at the struggling ship maintenance firm, which leases the vast King George V dry dock from ABP, first discovered there was trouble at the end of May when it was revealed bosses planned to slash the workforce by a third - from 92 to 57.

Just over a week later, and despite recently completing a multi-million -pound deal to refurbish three Carnival cruise liners, it emerged the remaining 57 also face the axe, although up to 31 may be taken on again with new contracts. Unions say workers lose out under the new contracts, claiming A&P only guarantee 30 hours' work across seven days and expected staff to be on call 24 hours a day.

Mike Budd of Amicus said: "I think it is appalling what they are doing. They are treating the workforce and the unions with absolute contempt. I am incensed.

"We say this is illegal under the Employment Act. They are failing to consult with us on redundancy and if they do we can show it's a sham - an excuse to re-employ people on different conditions.

"There is one guy who has worked there since he was 15 and he only had 18 months left to go. He is so upset, he can't believe how badly they are behaving.

"They don't seem to care. It is outrageous how they conduct themselves. They have always been difficult to deal with."

David Parry said: "We have taken professional advice on how we look at the structure of the company for the future. Our principal concern is to ensure that we have a sustainable business which provides long-term job prospects for A&P employees.

"Unions have decided to see what we are doing as a sham rather than a justifiable approach to save as many jobs as possible. We have always acknowledged the quality of our workforce."