GPMU national officer Mike Griffiths said: I think this is a reflection of the general demise in manufacturing. And he added that the union fully expected the trend to continue, putting more members jobs at risk.
It is also interesting that these figures have come out when the secretary of states office suddenly realises too little has been done lately for manufacturing industry, he said.
Griffiths also added his support to the TUCs call for the monetary policy committee to reduce interest rates.
Despite an increase in production during May to cover pre-Jubilee projects, the ONS said that factories had shut down for significant periods during Jubilee week, culminating in a dip in production that it hadnt anticipated.
One printing industry analyst said it was significant that manufacturing industry, and print in particular, were still suffering from the strength of sterling against the euro.
The sooner the debating is over will be the best for everybody. If we go in [to the common currency] the competition will be on a more even keel, and we could even see investors considering the print industry once again, said the analyst.
Story by Andy Scott
