BMW, the German vehicle maker, today announced plans to lay off 850 weekend agency staff at its Mini factory in Cowley, near Oxford, as the slowdown in demand for cars worsens.

Agency workers leaving Cowley this morning expressed their anger at being given just one hour’s notice of losing their job. The company made the announcements just as the staff affected were finishing their shift.

"It’s a disgrace. I feel as though I’ve been used. We should have been given one month’s notice, not one hour," said one worker.

John Cunningham, who has worked at the factory for more than two years, said he felt betrayed. "We’ve been given a week’s pay for an enforced week off, which I suppose is a week’s notice. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me and my family. It’s very scary."

Union sources said workers booed and threw apples and oranges at managers after being told the news.

"Sacking an entire shift like this, and targeting agency workers who have no rights to redundancy pay, is blatant opportunism on BMW’s part and nothing short of scandalous," said Tony Woodley, the joint leader of the Unite union.

"BMW’s parent company couldn’t attempt this in Germany because it would be illegal to do so. It is a disgrace, therefore, that workers in this country can be so casually thrown to the dole."

The number of production days at the factory will be reduced from seven to five once the job cuts come into force on March 2, and permanent staff deployed on weekend shifts will be redeployed to the week.

BMW also announced today that it will close down production at the plant for one week in response to plunging demand for new cars.

The company said in a statement: "While Mini has been weathering the economic downturn, it is not immune from the challenges of the current situation.

"Against this backdrop the company felt that a review of its shift patterns was necessary. This decision has not been taken lightly. The plant’s union representatives have, of course, been involved in the discussions."

A spokeswoman said that there were "no current plans" to make permanent staff redundant. The plant employs 940 agency staff alongside 4,300 permanent workers.

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