Bosses at GM are meeting with union representatives on Thursday, January 8, to talk about what the year ahead holds for staff at the company's Luton plant.

Workers have just returned to the Kimpton Road van manufacturing factory after three weeks off, and are waiting to hear what cost-cutting measures will be put in place by the company.

The 1,400 employees could face cuts in their working hours or salaries as GM Europe works out how it can save $750 million following a huge slump in the new vehicle market.

At the company's car plant in Cheshire, workers have been offered sabbaticals of between two and eight months in 2009 in return for 30 per cent pay, and a series of 'down days' took place at the Luton plant between September and Christmas.

GM spokesman Denis Chick said: ""We have to start thinking that we're going to have more down days this year, as will the rest of the industry, but we can't keep booking the time because we have already got so much time banked."

He added that sales figures for 2008 showed the company had "done fairly well" considering the state of the market.