FORD has almost doubled the amount of job losses to hit car workers in the UK; now as many as 3,100 face the sack over next 18 months.
Ford announced that it is slashing its European payroll by a fifth, and that this includes car workers in Britain. Ford has already announced the loss of 1,700 jobs with the closure of the Bridgend engine factory.
Ford revealed even more job cuts yesterday, with a further 1,400 UK employees on the hit list (taking the total to 3,100).
Car giant Ford is planning to cut about 12,000 jobs across its European operations by the end of 2020.
The carmaker said it is trying ‘to cut costs and restructure its European business, which is losing money’.
It plans to have closed five of its plants by the end of next year, including the Bridgend engine plant in Wales, and it is selling another.
Ford employs 51,000 people in Europe. The new announcement means that the 12,000 workers will lose their jobs as six of the 24 sites on the continent are shut, including the engine plant in Bridgend,
Jeff Beck, GMB organiser, said: ‘This is obviously more bad news for Ford workers across the EU and UK.
‘The announcement of the closure a few weeks ago has already been a hammer blow to the workers and community of Bridgend, and this will no doubt have the same catastrophic effect on similar manufacturing communities in Europe.
‘We’ve seen in recent weeks the resolve of Ford workers to fight for their jobs in Bridgend and it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw something similar across Europe.
‘It doesn’t have to be this way. We think that Ford should be investing in its workforce, and capitalising on the huge opportunity to become the world’s leading mass producer of electric cars in the same way as they did with the Model T at the beginning of the last century.
‘We will stand with our members and fight for every job.’
Dave Wiltshire, Secretary of the All Trades Union Alliance (ATUA), said: ‘If the unions are serious about fighting for the jobs at Bridgend and other factories threatened with cuts and closures, then they must immediately call the strike dates.
‘Workers must be prepared to occupy the factory to stop the closure from going ahead and demand immediate nationalisation.
‘This is an issue for the entire working class, and the entire working class must be mobilised in a general strike to bring this government down.’
