Union leaders were today staging talks with bosses at a mobile cabin firm over plans to axe about a dozen workers.

Staff at Elliott Group, based at Priest End Works, Rycote Lane, Thame, were told before Christmas that redundancies were in the pipeline.

Dominic Hehir, regional organiser for the construction union UCATT, said: "We will be having our first round of talks today. We are very annoyed about the situation."

Elliotts' management blame a downturn in business for the job cuts.

Manufacturing director Geoff Lee said: "We are talking to individuals, and the union, to see whether we can avoid some, or all, of the redundancies.

"But I don't think that will happen."

About 60 people are employed at the site, which Elliotts took over from Rovacabin just over a year ago when Rovacabin's parent firm, Harsco, decided to dispose of its manufacturing base.

UCATT is already in dispute with Elliotts over workers' pension rights.

Mr Hehir said the Rovacabin pension scheme for manual workers was dropped when Elliotts took over the business.

He added the union was taking the company to an industrial tribunal on the grounds of discrimination.

Mr Lee refused to comment on the pension situation.