1,000s of jobs facing the axe; INDUSTRY: Triple cuts whammy.

Byline: By Jon Griffin

HUNDREDS of Midland workers face New Year misery in a triple bombshell of job cuts, it was announced today.

Around 130 people will face an uncertain Christmas with the closure of a Birmingham city centre packaging plant.

Other regional jobs are at risk with the announcement by British Gas owner Centrica that it is to axe more than 1,300 jobs nationwide.

And, in a black day for the labour market, TUI, owner of Thomson Holidays, said 2,600 UK jobs are to go as part of a Europe-wide restructuring programme.

In Birmingham, AGI Media Europe announced plans to close its media packaging plant in Barford Street, which employs a total of 130 people.

The plant is due to enter a 90-day consultation period over the proposals, under which production will stop by the end of March 2007.

AGI Media said in a statement the decision to close the Birmingham site would allow it to move CD and DVD packaging production to other European sites.

AGI Media UK managing director Andrew Scrimgeour said: "Much of what we produce in Birmingham ends up on the Continent.

"We are tailoring the firm to best suit the market, to be more effective and cost efficient. On a personal front, it's awful, but from a business point of view, it's the right thing to do."

Amicus official Vernon Robson said talks were planned next Wednesday in a last ditch bid to avert the Birmingham closure.

"We will be arguing to keep the site open," he said.

Meanwhile, other Midland workers face uncertainty at Christmas after Centrica revealed it had lost 978,000 customer accounts in the year to date, and was closing its headquarters in Stockley Park, Middlesex, and relocate to Staines.

Centrica, which employs 1,000 people at Oldbury and several hundred other workers at Solihull - which is closing next year - said 700 jobs will go at the British Gas Residential Energy back office, including administrators and workers processing household bills.

Meanwhile 340 will be cut in British Gas Services and a further 270 will disappear from the corporate side.