Aviation giant Airbus said Tuesday it was shifting part of its production from one of its plants in Wales to South Korea in a move that provoked angry reactions from British unions.
"We have reached a deal with Korean Airspace Industries to produce wing parts that are not at the core of our work, which will enable us to redeploy resources and use them to increase production," a spokesman said.
The parts to be produced in Korea are wing panels for the A320 single-aisle passenger jet.
Unite, Britan's biggest union, described the decision to shift work from Broughton in north Wales to Korea as "a massive own goal" for Airbus.
Airbus promised that about 200 of the British workers affected by the shift will be retrained and redeployed.
But Unite said the decision undermined what it called the world-beating skills of British workers and would weaken Britain's position in the global aerospace industry.
"We have many UK companies that are ready, willing and able to carry out work for Airbus but who have missed out now that work is being sent offshore to Korea," it said in a statement.
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