Car workers 'abandoning production lines to defect to Amazon'

Fears: Mike Hawes, chief exec of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

Car workers have abandoned production lines to work at Amazon, the head of an industry body has claimed.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said they were lured by lucrative signing-on bonuses.

The comments highlight the scramble to fill jobs facing UK employers, as vacancies top a million. It comes despite reports of poor working conditions disputed by the company at Amazons factories and, recently, strikes and job cuts.