Europe-based appliance maker Electrolux plans to close its factory in Nuremberg, Germany as early as December 2006, rather than at the end of 2007 as previously planned, in reaction to an ongoing strike being staged at the plant, German news agency DPA said, citing sources in Stockholm.

The 1,750 workers at the Nuremburg plant of German unit AEG have been on indefinite strike since January over severance packages after Electrolux announced plans to close the factory and move production to Poland.

IG Metall trade union representative Reiner Peters-Ackermann said an early closure of the plan would only be "an additional threatening gesture to exert pressure on the striking workers."

"I don't know how seriously we should take this," he added. (AFX)