More than 1,100 supply chain jobs have been saved less than a week after MG Rover's fate was sealed, it was revealed today. The short-term future of the workers has been secured thanks to a £40 million Accelerate emergency initiative to help component suppliers. Fifty-two companies have now received £483,000 in emergency aid, with the Birmingham-based hotline swamped by anxious callers. JobCentre Plus staff have received more than 8,000 calls and seen more than 1,000 individuals for preliminary interviews. The £483,000 handed out so far by Accelerate safeguards 1,138 jobs for six weeks while companies seek new markets and customers. Meanwhile, an Advantage West Midlands website set up by the agency to help workers has had almost 20,000 visits and is being constantly updated. AWM and MG Rover Task Force chairman Nick Paul said: "I know the JobCentre Plus offices and helplines have been phenomenally busy as the redundancy notices have started to arrive with workers. "While the workers there are doing a fantastic job, I would urge people to be patient and understand the difficult situation everybody is facing. "The JobCentre Plus staff are working tire-lessly to get through a massive workload and are confident of having preliminary inter-views with all of the 5,000 staff laid off by the end of Sunday. "Meanwhile the Accelerate workers have helped to preserve the immediate future of more than 1,000 staff in the supply chain which gives their employers breathing space while we work closely with them to plan for the future beyond MG Rover." Longbridge workers have also been urged to consider applying for 100 vacancies at Vauxhall's plant in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Tony Murphy, national automotive officer for Amicus, said the jobs were being created following investment in the press shop. Staff who have lost their jobs may also be offered work on offshore oilrigs. | 
