TEMPORARY workers supplying Honda’s production lines at South Marston are being kept in the dark on their future following last Tuesday’s decision to cut 500 jobs.

The Japanese car giant announced it would lose 340 permanent and 160 temporary production associates from its staff, but some workers are still unsure whether they will be affected.

Several agency staff based at South Marston Distribution Centre (SDC) in Thornhill Road have contacted the Adver with concerns over their future.

The employees are all managed by recruitment agency Pertemps, which has raised its own concerns over the lack of communication from SDC.

One woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, has been working at SDC since last summer. She said: “Pertemps hasn’t contacted any temps about what’s going on.

“They don’t have any decency to come clean and tell us what’s going on, so I just think we are being treated badly.

“I need to know what’s going on for my family. A couple of weeks ago I was told I would be taken on in a permanent role, but now I have no idea if that still stands. I need clarification.”

Another worker, who did not give his name, has been at SDC for seven months. He said: “To put it mildly, I think the way Pertemps is treating everyone is disgusting. We haven’t really been given any information. We have been told we will have to wait until next month.

“It’s double standards – all of the permanent workers at Honda have been written to and given offers of redundancy, and we have been told nothing.”

Nikki Carvey, account manager for SDC at Pertemps, said: “We are actually concerned ourselves and trying to get information from SDC. We have had no contact with Honda themselves. Our link is with South Marston Distribution Centre.

“We haven’t told our workers anything in case it’s the wrong thing. We don’t know whether our temps are going to be released or not.

“All we have heard has been in the radio and newspapers.”

SDC takes delivery of various components and readies them for the productions lines at both plants in the Honda campus.

Despite repeated attempts by the Adver to speak with SDC, the firm continued to decline the opportunity to comment on the future of its temporary staff.

All of the 500 workers who ultimately lose their jobs at Honda were told this week there would be a return of last year’s highly-successful task force.

The coalition of Swindon MPs and various agencies at both the local and national level will work to minimise the impact these job losses will have.