UNION officials and bosses at the stricken Sun Valley Foods factory in Blaenavon are to meet Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to save it.

Mr Murphy, MP for Torfaen, and AMs Lynne Neagle and Peter Law will meet to discuss the company's plans to shut the plant in August and move all 289 of the workforce to its sister operation in Hereford.

But workers say they will be out of pocket - Sun Valley is not offering travel expenses for Blaenavon staff who take jobs at Hereford, and no bonus schemes operate there. The closure decision was revealed in the Argus last Thursday and was labelled "another nail in the coffin" for the town by angry traders.

And Byron Jones, area representative for trade union Amicus (formerly the AEEU), vowed to fight to change the minds of Sun Valley's parent company, Carrick Industries.

Mr Jones was initially given 90 days to formulate a resettlement deal to put before the firm and held a meeting with management on Tuesday to offer the union's suggestions to soften the blow for its members - about 60% of the poultry products manufacturer's total staff.

He said: "We put several suggestions to the company to facilitate the transfer to Hereford, by paying a mileage allowance or protection of earnings for six or 12 months, depending on how long the employee has been in the job.

"We also put to them various things on the enhanced government redundancy scheme, lieu of notice pay, holiday paid in full and loyalty payments to stay until August 8. They are going to consider it and give us a response on Friday.

"We are going to meet Mr Murphy and Ms Neagle with the company in Pontypool on Friday afternoon, so if the firm's response isn't what we are looking for, then we can bring it up with them."

A spokeswoman for Sun Valley Foods confirmed that the meeting would be taking place on Friday.

She reiterated the firm's reason for closure, citing the "highly competitive UK poultry market" as the cause of the "cost-cutting exercise", and stating that all jobs would be safeguarded.

Mr Jones added: "My ultimate hope is that the MP and AMs can convince them to keep the place open. If they can't, then we have to make the best of a bad job and secure the best deal for our members."