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

Managers are preparing to make the news public in the wake of falling sales of the iconic car.

Union officers 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.

We 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.