Staff at a Marconi plant, earmarked for closure, were today set to vote for industrial action in a bid to save the plant, it was claimed.

The union Amicus said employees at the company's New Horizon Park plant in Coventry would confirm the stance when a motion is put to a mass meeting this afternoon.

Regional officer Barry Robinson said: "We can not see the sense in it, we believe many other people can not see the sense in it."

Marconi last week revealed it is set to shed around 450 jobs in Coventry and shut down one of its two sites in the city.

The announcement followed a decision by BT to chose eight overseas-based companies for contracts in the carve up of a £10 billion project to upgrade its network.

Marconi said 180 jobs would go with closure the company's New Horizon Park plant and a further 270 Coventry jobs face the axe at the firm's New Century Park works.

However, union officials say the New Horizon Park plant had no relevance to the BT contract and claimed the jobs were being "exported to Italy".

Union bosses say there are, at least, three meetings planned with management on Friday: in Coventry addressing the future of jobs at New Horizon, New Century.

Marconi had no comment. The company confirmed earlier that New Horizon Park work would be transferred to Italy.