Workers at a threatened Bradford car parts manufacturer have reacted with anger and dismay to news that their pensions are in jeopardy.

Workers at Federal-Mogul at St John's Works, Wakefield Road, some of whom have spent decades at the automotive components plant, could now face a bleak future.

The Federal-Mogul Corporation went into administration in Britain and the United States in 2001. Work at the site is being wound down and is due to finish in November.

Since the beginning of the year the 380-strong workforce has been reduced to 160.

Now confusion surrounds the future of the pension scheme as the company, the independent trustee and the administrators try to come to an agreement over the scheme.

Workers claim they have been told by the administrators, Kroll, that pension payments have been frozen.

One worker, John McGuinness, said older employees over 50 would be especially badly hit.

"People are very angry about it," said Mr McGuinness. "Not only are they losing their jobs, they're losing their pensions as well."

Production controller Nigel Foster, 51, has worked at the company, formerly Taylor & Newall, for 34 years since leaving school.

He has already received his redundancy notice and is due to leave the firm on September 10.

He was hoping to take a part-time job to look after his mother and will now have to find another full-time job.

"Basically, it's devastated me," said Mr Foster.

"It's destroyed any plans for the future I had in place.

"I was due to get a pension of £134 a week and a lump sum of £30,000. Now all I'll get is a redundancy payment. I'll have to work until I'm 65."

Workers spoke of one of their colleagues with 43 years' service who was given just 24 hours' notice of the pension freeze.

A statement from Simon Freakley, of the administrators Kroll, which was circulated to Federal-Mogul staff, said the pension scheme had been one of the major challenges in re-structuring the business.

"To balance the interests of all creditors we have now taken the difficult decision to withdraw the UK subsidiary companies from the pension scheme.

"The scheme still remains open and we are in talks with the independent trustee, Federal-Mogul and other parties in the group's reorganisation plan on the next steps forward."

He added that guidance had been sought from the High Court, because of the complexity of the pension arrangements, and the court had directed the administrators to withdraw firms from the pension scheme.

Pension contributions were currently being paid into a separate account and could be paid into a new pension scheme in the future.

However, a spokesman for Federal-Mogul indicated to the Telegraph & Argus that the independent trustee, Alexander Forbes Trustee Services, had not accepted the company's proposals.

"We do not agree with the current position taken by the independent trustee," he said.

"This unsettling news has understandably come as a surprise to our employees and we will be working closely with trade union and employee representatives to keep them fully informed of developments."