Up to 650 Sussex workers have been told they must move to Luton or risk losing their jobs following a multi-million pound merger.

The workers face redundancy from TUI Travel in Crawley.

The German company merged the popular Thomson and First Choice travel brands last year.

It now plans to close its flagship First Choice House base in London Road, Crawley, in an attempt to streamline its operations and make £150 million in savings.

Staff have been told they can follow their jobs to Luton or walk away before the office closes in 2009.

They were informed of the decision to move their jobs to Thomson's offices in Bedfordshire when they returned to work after the new year.

The company also runs four other offices in the Crawley area where staff hope their jobs remain safe.

A corporate team from First Choice House has already been transferred to nearby TUI Travel House in Fleming Way.

A spokeswoman said Eastman House, in London Road, was 'still fully staffed with no plans to close', while specialist business operators at The Atrium, London Road, and staff at Jet Set House, Lowfield Heath, near Gatwick, remained safe.

However, workers at First Choice House face a year of uncertainty as they decide whether to move to Luton or find new jobs.

It is not thought they are represented collectively by a union.

A spokeswoman said: "We began a formal consultation with staff about the First Choice House relocation in September, and staff were told in the first week of the new year that it would definitely happen.

"In the vast majority of cases people have been given alternative roles in Luton. We've still got the building until the end of 2009 so this is going to happen gradually over a period of time.

"The company is doing its best wherever possible to be flexible in its approach, allowing some people to work in both Luton and at home.

"But I can imagine that some people will instead choose for personal reasons to take redundancy."

The news came as TUI also announced plans to close about 100 high street stores in the UK.

The closures of Thomson and First Choice shops will contribute to the £150 million of annual savings the firm is expecting to make after its merger - 50 per cent more than its original calculations.

It will affect almost ten per cent of the Thomson and First Choice high street network of about 1,100 stores, and will mainly affect loss-making shops in towns where the company has two or three stores.

Peter Long, TUI's chief executive, refused to give a total number of the job losses, saying that the matter was "sensitive" and that the company was still in consultation with staff.

However, he said: "It's not small numbers clearly, but we want to achieve a lot of this through natural reductions."

TUI employs about 19,000 staff in the UK.

Mr Long said the company was performing well and had not been affected by the fall in consumer confidence, as people were not sacrificing holidays to save money.

Will you be affected by the Sussex jobs being moved to Luton? Call Andy Dickenson on 01273 544538, email andy.dickenson@theargus.co.uk or leave your comments below.