At the meeting, Mr Cramb told representatives of eight agencies they had to remember the individual families the redundancy situation affected.

He said, “We are on about the lives of around 650 women and men who are in the grip of uncertainty, fear, and darkness. Their lives have hit the buffers, and it’s not just an economic matter, it’s about their very being.”

He continued, “Most conversations we have with someone new comes very quickly to the question ‘what do you do?’. It’s a vital component of how you view yourself. So money worries are compounded by a loss of self-esteem and family tensions.”

Turning to today’s meeting Mr Cramb said actions would speak louder than words.

He said, “The task into which we come is urgent. As we move to working on an action plan, the plan is important, but not worth a button until it becomes action. We also have to look at other jobs. The NCR jobs that remain — those here in this factory and those in the R&D building.

“There are the jobs threatened under a knock-on process, suppliers and the like, which are not immediately quantifiable.

“The third issue is the economy of the city, what future economic strengths we can build up — civil service jobs spring to everyone’s mind — but we have to look to the strength and advantages we can offer the private sector.”

He continued, “I am heartened by the balance of sensitivity and sensibility of those who I’ve already been speaking to. I want your very best, your skills, your time, your energy, your desire. It’s what our hurting brothers and sisters should demand of us.”

Represented at the meeting were NCR, Amicus, staff members, Scottish Enterprise Tayside, the Scottish Executive, Dundee City Council, Careers Scotland and Job Centre.

Mr Cramb passed out pictures of NCR worker Stephen Russell and his son Stevie at the start of the meeting to ensure group members focused on the human side of the situation.

He said, “This was the first working meeting of the group and I must say I was really pleased at the atmosphere and the interaction. The unions came with this other imperative — the imperative about the jobs redundancy package, about fighting for jobs and that is their business and there was ready recognition of that.

“But the good thing was that both the unions and the management of NCR confirmed in a very positive way that they were going to play their part in the group simultaneously to them doing their own own thing.

“One of the encouraging things that came up a couple of times was evidence of other companies — some of them beyond Dundee — inquiring about workers’ skills and also the people who weren’t round the table — the universities, colleges and so on, saying what help do you need.”

Mr Cramb said he had demanded progress by the time the team comes together again on January 29.

He said the team would do everything it could to honour three simple pledges to the individual worker. They were to a) retain his job, b) get him a new job appropriate to his skills, c) find a real new productive path for his life.

Rev Cramb added, “It’s an enormous challenge. We are going to do the best we can.”