A top union official said workers at a Perthshire chicken processing plant remain in “shock” over news they could soon lose their jobs.
The Courier revealed 250 jobs could be cut at the 2 Sisters Food Group factory formerly Grampian Chickens in Coupar Angus.
Despite the firm entering a period of consultation with staff, Dougie Maguire, Unite union regional industrial officer, said there had been “little to no detail” about where the axe will fall.
As well as the job losses, he claimed fears have heightened that remaining staff will see changes to their terms and conditions.
Emergency meetings have taken place between union members, staff, shop stewards and MSP John Swinney after the announcement, which came just weeks after 2 Sisters pledged not to alter their Scottish operation.
A 45-day consultation period has begun to identify voluntary redundancies and changes to shift patterns.
Mr Maguire said job losses at the plant would be “absolutely devastating” for the local economy.
“We are also deeply concerned about the prospect of imposed cuts to terms and conditions on top of these redundancies as the company’s rhetoric indicates that the rescue plan will not start and end with jobs,” he said.
“We will work with the Scottish Government to offset the devastating impact this will have on local jobs and the local community, but we have been left in total limbo by the company.
“Workers and their families are now at the mercy of what the employer presents on Monday morning and the prospect of bringing in the new year without employment for hundreds of people in the Coupar Angus area is utterly grim.”
Mr Swinney said he was told the company would be “slimming down” the workforce and that was “not what he expected to hear”.
He said he is keen to get Scottish Enterprise involved to try to “mitigate” the extent of job losses in Coupar Angus but stressed that the Scottish Government will help where they can.
“The workforce were stunned by this outcome,” he said.
Jo Kettles, secretary of Coupar Angus and Bendochy Community Council, said there was “no panic” yet among their members.
“The last thing we want is for the factory to close,” she said. “Even in the worst-case scenario if we had around 100 people working there it would still be employment for Coupar Angus.”
Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said the impact to families and the local economy will be “substantial”.
However, a spokesman for the 2 Sisters Food Group said the company had made a “concerted effort” to be as “open and transparent” as possible.
“This has included talks with Unite national and regional officers, our site shop stewards, the president of the NFU in Scotland and Mr Swinney,” he said.
An over-supply of chicken in Scotland and a slump in consumer demand have been given as the reasons for the job cuts.
The plant currently employs more than 670 workers and was purchased by 2 Sisters in March from the Dutch firm Vion.