Jaguar Landrover
November 30, 2018 | Author: Shannon Davies
Jaguar Landrover to cut hundreds of jobs at Solihull Plant in the run-up to Christmas
It has been confirmed that 400 agency workers at Jaguar Landrover’s Solihull Plant will lose their jobs by Christmas. Yesterday (29/11) staff were briefed as JLR bosses have announced that they are “making tough decisions”.
been hit with Brexit uncertainty that has impacted economic growth and confidence and dragged the car market down, as well as a substantial shift away from diesel cars. Just last month, the plant was closed for a two-week shutdown due to “fluctuating demand”. Additionally, the Castle Bromwich plant JLR havehave faced temporary adjustments to their production schedule and are now on a three-day week until Christmas.
Jaguar Land Rover said: “The external environment remains challenging and the company is taking decisive actions to achieve the necessary operational efficiencies to safeguard long-term success.
“To deliver a growing range of electrified cars for our customers we are making tough decisions, but the transformation of the business relies on this.”
It is said that workers are “waiting for the axe to swing”. Tom Bagley, manpower worker positioned on the production line at Lode Lane said: “It’s just becoming a joke now. There’s nothing worse than knowing your job isn’t secure. I’d be absolutely devastated; my wife would be devastated.
“To do it this side of Christmas too, it’s just heartless. There’s many of us in the same vulnerable position. We are people with responsibilities, with duties, we’re parents… it’s just not fair”.
Agency worker, Katie Davies, said: “It’s becoming incredibly frustrating how they’re leaving us in the dark all of the time. I just wish they would hurry up and get it over with. All of this uncertainty is sending my anxiety through the roof! Do they not realise that it is people’s lives that they are playing with?! It’s just a waiting game now, with a lot of hoping and praying that it won’t be me.”
so that if the UK Earlier this year, the company confirmed that it was moving production of the Discovery model to Slovakia in February 2019. Professor David Bailey, Motor Industry Specialist at Aston Business School, says: “When Jaguar Land Rover first made the decision to invest in Slovakia, it was always a hedge against Brexit. They wanted a production facility within side of the European Union, and within the euro zone leave, it had the possibility to produce cars inside the EU.
“As it turned out, they were right. The first car to move there will be the Discovery production, I don’t think it will be the last, I think we will see considerable further investment in Slovakia.
Now that changes have been made to the production schedule in preparation for the Discovery’s departure, the uncertainty remains when it comes to what’s next for Jaguar Land Rover and its workers.
“Where it goes from here, we don’t know. Partly that depends on the form of Brexit, in the event of no deal I think we will see further job losses. I think next year, hopefully, the market should stabilize a bit. But I think the government could help a lot by reducing uncertainty over the future trading relationship with Europe and also having a clearer message on diesels and which diesels are clean to drive, that will help underpin consumer confidence.
“If there is no deal, then at the end of March I think JLR will have to close their plants temporarily. Whether all of their plants reopen or not is a very interesting question. I’m not so sure they will so there’s likely to be a shock for the wider economy.”
Jaguar Land Rover boss, Ralf Speth has previously issued warnings about the effects a bad Brexit deal would have on the company. It looks as though there will be no stability for JLR workers any time soon.