THE FIGHT to save jobs at The Document Company Xerox moved to Europe this week.

Labour's South West Euro MP Glyn Ford was meeting Commissioner Anna Diamantopolou in Brussels on Tuesday to ask her to investigate whether or not Xerox has properly abided by EU legislation on employee consultation.

Representatives of the main unions at Xerox were also attending together with and representatives of the South West Regional Development Agency and the Government Office of the South West.

At Mitcheldean, where the company has announced a massive redundancy programme with the loss of 1,300 jobs over the next 12 months, union officials and company executives have been engaged in a long round of talks.

A union spokesman said he was unable to comment until these had been completed.

Sir Michael Lickiss, chairman of the South West Regional Development Agency, visited the plant on Monday to meet company bosses and union officials. With fellow board member Nigel Costley and Ian Knight, RDA area manager for Gloucestershire, he met Robin Fyffe, plant manager, and Diana Organ MP.

In a statement on behalf of the South West RDA, Sir Michael told union representatives that over the coming months he and his colleagues would be discussing the problems raised by the redundancies to try to find the best possible ways for the RDA to help.

"We will make sure we will explore every possible avenue. If we can help you we will tell you how, and if we can't we will be honest with you," he said.

The statement said that together with other agencies it was planned to develop longer-term solutions to the problems of the Forest.

The Agency says it is planning a "Rapid Response Fund" to help those who lose their jobs to find new ones and to help with training and travel expenses, benefit claims, IT skills and other challenges raised by redundancy.

If, as seems likely, the plant is sold, the Agency could help the new owner to develop the site, said the statement.

•As a result of the Brussels meeting the Commissioner has arranged for two members of her staff to work with the RDA and others involved to look at how European money, including the European Social Fund, could help to ease the problems of the Forest.

She has also promised to write for a second time to the UK government stating that Xerox must abide by UK employment legislation.