A ‘significant’ number of workers making the Mini car at BMW’s plant in Cowley will be made redundant tomorrow, the Oxford Mail has learned.

Bosses are preparing to make the news public in the wake of plummeting sales of the iconic car.

Union bosses have managed to negotiate a new shift, but in order to make that work employees have been told they would have less work.

That means many temporary staff leaving, some without redundancy packages.

It has been reported that 850 of the plant’s 4,500 total workforce will be laid off.

The Oxford Mail asked union convenor Bernard Moss whether jobs would go tomorrow and he said: “Yes. I think the number would be significant (but) I am not at liberty to say how many yet.”

The Mini celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, but in the past few months the company has laid off workers as its order book shrinks.