Unite, Britain’s and Ireland’s largest union, has vowed to fight any compulsory redundancies, following briefings that 1,000 job losses were on the cards over the next two years at Ford’s Bridgend engine plant in South Wales.
Shop stewards from Ford factories have been given a briefing on the proposals. The plans are for a total of 1,150 job losses in the UK, with almost 1,000 at Bridgend and the rest at Ford's transport operations, which would affect lorry drivers across the UK.
Unite national officer for automotive industries, Des Quinn said: “What is being proposed at Bridgend is due to take place in two stages over two years.
“It is a devastating blow for our members and their families, as well as having grave implications for the Welsh economy and the supply chain.
“Unite is fully committed to opposing any compulsory redundancies and campaigning strongly for Bridgend to have a viable future. We will be consulting our members very closely in the days and weeks ahead.
“There are a number of factors behind this grim news – the main ones being challenging market conditions for carmakers generally, a lack of a coherent industrial strategy from the UK government and the uncertainty created by Brexit.
“Over the last two decades, the UK car industry has experienced a renaissance of which we can all be proud of.
“The challenge for government, the carmakers and the unions in the near future is to fight very hard to maintain the environment that made that success possible.”
