SCOTLAND cannot afford to lose 200 skilled aerospace manufacturing jobs, a union has warned after major cuts were announced at a state-of-the-art Rolls-Royce plant.

The posts are to be axed at the engineering facility at Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, which has been refurbished at a cost of £85 million.

Rolls-Royce said it is looking for volunteers for the cost-cutting exercise, which will affect everyone from the shop floor to senior management.

It comes less than a year after it shut its facility at East Kilbride and began ­transferring jobs to the Inchinnan site.

A spokeswoman for the Unite union said: "We cannot afford to lose 200 skilled aerospace manufacturing jobs in this fragile climate. The Scottish Government must intervene to provide every help possible."

Renfrewshire North and West MSP Derek Mackay said the announcement was worrying news.

A spokesman for Rolls-Royce said the cuts "will ensure we remain competitive and are best placed for any opportunities that may appear in the future".