Hewlett-Packard to shed 850 jobs in Scotland

LONDON May 29 (Reuters) - More than 800 hi-tech manufacturing jobs in Scotland are to go following Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ.N) decision to cut 5,700 jobs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Scottish officials said.

The computer giant announced the cuts on Thursday, but did not specify where the jobs would go.

Unions and local politicians said the cuts would affect HP's 22-year-old Erskine plant in Scotland, with around 850 of the plant's 1,300 employees set to go.

"This is extremely disappointing news and I know this will be a time of real concern for the employees affected," John Swinney, a member of the Scottish parliament, said in a statement, adding that he would meet HP executives on Friday.

"The transfer out of Erskine is not expected until next year, and this gives valuable time to assist and mitigate the impact of this substantial manufacturing loss."

The Erskine site has operated since 1987, when it was opened by computer maker Compaq. At its peak it employed 2,500 people. Hewlett-Packard acquired Compaq in 2002. (Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Jon Boyle)