UNION officials at BAE Systems' Samlesbury site have revealed the 140 workers, whose jobs were under threat, are expected to continue working at the firm but in other departments.

Bosses announced last week that 140 jobs were to be axed in their commercial aerospace business after the terrorist assault on America caused a fall in demand for airbuses.

But Keith Robinson, the secretary to the joint shop steward at the Samlesbury site, said management had guaranteed all the workers would be redeployed in the military division. He said they were expecting another meeting with the company in the next month to confirm the details.

These events underline the two sides to the aerospace industry at the moment.

On the one hand the military division is booming -- earlier this month BAE Systems was awarded part of the £200bn Joint Strike Fighter programme for the US Air Force, Navy and Marines and the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. Bosses said this secured thousands of jobs for 30 years and would create many more.

But in the commercial division, airbus orders are expected to reduce from 320 to 300 next year, and the regional jet programme is being ended -- both as a direct result of the events on September 11.

Mr Robinson said: "They are looking for redeployment, they are not talking compulsory redundancies or voluntary redundancies.

"This redeployment will be throughout Samlesbury and possibly the Warton division.

"As soon as the company makes another announcement will be able to act, but we have been told by the site manager that all the workers will be re-deployed."