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Fears over potential job losses at the Jaguar Land Rover plant on Merseyside are growing after bosses proposed big changes to shift patterns.

An email sent to staff at the Halewood plant and seen by BusinessLive told workers many of them would be moving to a '2+ shift pattern' from a '3 shift pattern' as of November, with the pay offer subject to a workforce ballot.

But while JLR told staff that would mean "more flexibility and productivity", various employees have raised fears it could pave the way for further job losses.

One employee, who wished to remain anonymous through fear for their job, said: "It's a pretty bad thing because we don't get much of a life as it is.

"In terms of manpower, it seems like they are trying to cut people out of the company."

Another said: "Staff in the plant are not happy considering JLR is making good profit and are finding money to build new factories but not to help the staff."

The move will see a big change in how the plant operates, and while there has not yet been any official indication it will lead to redundancies, a third employee said there were rumours it could mean "up to 500" job losses - although Unite, the union representing most JLR staff, said it did not recognise that figure.

The union said the move was in fact intended to safeguard jobs and preserve skills.

But in July, when , another employee said: "The general feeling from the employees is worry and concern and people have financial commitments.

"I feel this way too with a family and financial commitments, such as a mortgage."

A spokeswoman for JLR told BusinessLive: "JLR is pleased to confirm that the Company has reached an agreement with Trade Unions following its recent pay and conditions negotiations. The Unions have agreed to unanimously recommend the offer to the workforce and a ballot will take place in the near future.

“Jaguar Land Rover is continuing to invest heavily in its ������Ƶ manufacturing operations for the production of future electric and next generation vehicles, including at Halewood with the new Range Rover Evoque.

"As part of this transformation we continue to look at operational efficiencies and flexibility across all our sites to make sure our production schedules are appropriate for our car volumes.”

A Unite spokesman said: “Car production volumes are forecast to fall as a consequence of a number of challenging factors facing the car industry as a whole. Unite has been working with JLR on changes to shift patterns to safeguard as many jobs as possible and preserve skills for the future.

"We don’t recognise the figures mooted and will continue to work to ensure Jaguar Land Rover continues to be a source decent well paid jobs.”

The email to staff sent on Tuesday and seen by BusinessLive said: "It remains an unprecedented and challenging period for JLR and the automotive industry. We are experiencing increasingly volatile market conditions including regulatory, geopolitical, economic and technological disruption.

"Total demand for cars is lower in almost all markets compared to the same period last year.

"Our sales and financial results reflect this difficult environment in which we recorded a pre-tax loss of £395m for the three-month period ending June 30, 2019.

"Despite these headwinds, the company and the trade unions have worked hard to agree a pay and conditions offer, which strikes the right balance between working practices and pay, that will ensure a sustainable future for our employees and business."

The email laid out a '2+' shift pattern at Halewood, and that salaried employees would move from 37.5 hours to 37 hours per week.

It also said a "lump sum" will be paid to all eligible employees in November this year, and that a defined contribution pension fund working group will soon be set up.

The '2+' pattern will mean employees operating on a "earlies/lates" rotation, as opposed to the previous '3+', which saw three shifts fitted into each 24 hours.

Employees who have contacted BusinessLive say this will mean less overtime pay and "more hours for less money".

The news comes after JLR announced in January  as part of a bid to save £2.5bn to secure its future.

At the time, JLR's chief executive told the Liverpool ECHO ��.

Then, in July, it was revealed JLR would be building its electric cars in the ������Ƶ at its West Midlands plants, safeguarding thousands of jobs.

Later that month, the Government gave JLR a £500m loan guarantee to make the next generation of electric cars.