AT least 50 scientists and technicians will have to take compulsory redundancy from QinetiQ, the company revealed this week.

But a leading union spokesman says the number is more like 100, in addition to some 30 personnel who took voluntary redundancy at the end of August.

The redundancies come at the end of a three-month consultation process launched in May, when QinetiQ announced it was planning to axe a total of 400 posts at Malvern and the company's other main site at Farnborough. It said the cuts were made necessary by a downturn in its UK-based business.

The high-tech company, which currently employs about 2,000 in Malvern, works in the defence sector, and there are fears that it would be vulnerable to cuts in military research by the Ministry of Defence.

QinetiQ spokesman David Bishop said yesterday that the outcome of the consultation was that over 100 posts have to go at Malvern, but about half of them have been accounted for by voluntary redundancies.

He said that despite the job losses, QinetiQ was fully committed to its site in Malvern. "Malvern is very much in the forefront of our plans for the future," he added.

But David Luxton, national secretary of public sector union Prospect, which has been working closely with affected staff in Malvern, says the number of compulsory redundancies is in excess of 100, who will lose their jobs at the end of next week.

He said the staff affected were largely scientific and technical workers who represent a great deal of knowledge and experience.

"This is a very difficult time for all those affected and we have been working closely with them on issues such as redundancy payments, pensions, and so on," he said.

"Taking a longer view, these kinds of cuts hit at the company's skills base by getting rid of these highly experienced and skilled personnel. It's very short-sighted of the Ministry of Defence to allow this to happen."