UNIONS have warned West Yorkshire NHS Blood Service workers could strike over jobs.

Trade union Amicus said plans to close 14 centres in England, including one in Leeds, threatened the loss of hundreds of highly skilled technical and scientific staff.

The union complained the changes were being made without proper consultation.

The Leeds centre arranges blood collection sessions in Huddersfield.

A lobby of MPs is being planned and Amicus said it will ballot 2,000 workers for industrial action if the closures go ahead.

National officer Kevin Coyne said: "This mirrors exactly what is wrong with the NHS reform agenda. Modernisation is being rushed through without engagement and consultation with either staff or local communities.

"Hundreds of technical and scientific staff jobs are being put at risk."

A spokeswoman for the service said talks had been held with unions for a number of years about planned changes which will include moving the processing and testing of blood.

The changes were being planned partly because some facilities were in need of being upgraded and partly because there was less demand for blood.

The spokeswoman said it was too early to put a figure on how many jobs could be lost, but the plan would take five years and the service hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies.