STAFF at Lush factories face redundancy if they reject changes to their jobs.

The cosmetics maker recently revealed it would have room for 300 fewer workers at its Poole factories after implementing social distancing.

It said there would be less day shift work available but that it expected more demand on night and “twilight” shifts.

A document seen by the Daily Echo tells some manufacturing staff that their roles are being made redundant and that a consultation was being handed out.

It told staff: “As you are aware, due to the unprecedented Covid-19 global crisis, the company is having to make changes to our business model to protect the future health of the business and will result in some of our roles being made redundant.”

It said the company had frozen capital expenditure and bonuses for its management as well as conducting “a review of the size of the business”.

It was beginning a consultation process which would explore all options for avoiding redundancies and minimising the number of staff affected.

In a statement to the Daily Echo, Lush said: “We have issued letters to those whose roles may have to change within our manufacturing arm. The consultation process is in place in order to show every job available, in order that people can switch roles rather than leave the company.

“We will only be making manufacturing redundancies in Poole if people do not choose another role in the company.”

Lush recently revealed that more than 650 of its 700-plus manufacturing staff in Poole had been put on furlough at the height of the coronavirus lockdown.

It said then that the number of staff it could have on the same shift would drop from 955 to 637 under social distancing.

“As a result we will have less day shift work available than is usual at this time of year but we are anticipating an increased requirement for staff who can work twilight and night shifts,” the earlier statement said.

In its annual report and accounts, published recently, the company’s chief executive, Mark Constantine, said he expected trade to improve – but that there could be “jobageddon” if another lockdown was imposed.

Revenues around the world fell by 55 per cent in the three months to the end of May.