Anger at Ford’s plans to close Bridgend plant
Anger at Ford’s plans to close Bridgend plant and put 1,700 jobs at risk as union chiefs claim car maker could move the work to MEXICO
- Around 1,500 people employed at South Wales site could face unemployment
- Union leaders have been called to a meeting with Ford bosses amid the reports
- Ford has refused to comment on the reports, labelled ‘devastating’ by sources
Unions have today expressed outrage at the ‘disastrous’ expected announcement that car giant Ford is to close one of its UK factories with heavy job losses.
Company officials have flown from the United States to break the news at a meeting this morning.
Around 1,500 jobs are affected at the plant in Bridgend, South Wales, with many more at companies in the supply chain.
Ford said it would not comment on the speculation.
Unite has pledged to ‘stand by members through thick and thin’ and said it was ‘ironic’ the announcement came in the same week US President met the UK Prime Minister to discussed trade deals between the UK and America.
A spokesman added: ‘So much for the special relationship Mr Trump.’
Around 1,500 people are employed at the South Wales site could now face losing their jobs should the proposal go ahead. Pictured: Engineers working on a Jaguar V8 engine at the Ford engine plant near Bridgend
HALF A MILLION MANUFACTURING JOBS LOST IN PAST DECADE
Almost half a million manufacturing jobs have been lost in the UK over the past decade, a new study suggests.
Research by the GMB union indicated that employment in the sector had been cut by 14% since 2008.
There were 3.4 million jobs in manufacturing companies in 2008 but that fell to 2.9 million last year, said the GMB.
The report was compiled before today’s expected announcement of the closure of Ford’s engine factory in Bridgend, South Wales.
The worst affected regions for job losses are London, Scotland and the North West, said the report.
Jude Brimble, GMB national officer, said: ‘Half a million manufacturing job losses in just 10 years have been devastating for communities and unless action is taken, it looks like the worst could still be to come.
‘Unfortunately, this Government has a track record of failing to support UK manufacturing.
‘Famous old ceramics firms in the potteries, Appledore shipyard, large swathes of our steel industry, jobs at the Ford plant at Bridgend – all have fallen by the wayside yet the Conservative Party is prepared to risk thousands more job losses through a chaotic hard Brexit.’
A Unite spokesman said: ‘Unite will be meeting Ford first thing tomorrow morning and will comment further once the details of any announcement are known.
‘Our priority is our members’ jobs, the communities and livelihoods in the supply chain that Ford Bridgend supports.’
GMB Regional Organiser Jeff Beck said: ‘We haven’t as yet had any confirmation of any closure but we can confirm we’re meeting with Ford tomorrow and a new agenda has been arranged, which we’re yet to see.
‘If our worst fears are confirmed it will mean disaster for both our members in Bridgend and the community at large, who we will stand by the tough thick and thin.
‘The ironic part is in the week that Donald Trump is meeting the UK Prime Minister and talking up a special relationship and trade deal with the UK and the US, if the plant does close, the new line is likely to be taken to Mexico by an American company.
‘So much for the special relationship Mr Trump.’
Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy, said: ‘This is worrying news, first and foremost for Ford employees and their families who are left unsure as to their futures, but also for the jobs across the supply chain and the impact on the local economy in Bridgend.
‘Hot off the heels from Honda this would be another devastating blow to our car industry and to the UK’s wider manufacturing base.
‘The Government must urgently meet with Ford to secure the plant’s future.’
Union leaders have been called to a meeting with Ford bosses today amid reports of the closure. Ford has refused to comment on the speculation
Former Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones, who is AM for Bridgend, suggested that the government should intervene if there was reason to do so.
‘If there are reasons that can be dealt with by the Welsh government then that’s of course something that I’ll be pressing for, but we don’t now what the reasoning is yet,’ he told the BBC’s World Tonight.
‘We do know, of course, that back in October Ford did say that a no-deal Brexit would lead to – as they put it – a situation where they would look again at their investment strategy in the UK, and that may be a factor here.’
The Bridgend plant has been under threat because of falling demand for the two engines it makes, and lower projections for the Dragon engine it is scheduled to start making this year.
It has been manufacturing engines for 40 years.
Unions had expressed fears that 1,000 jobs at the factory could be lost if new contracts were not found.
The site opened in 1980 and covers an area of 60 acres.
Sources close to the engine plant have labelled the news ‘devastating’, as union leaders prepare for crunch talks with Ford bosses tomorrow
Unions have previously warned of a ballot for strikes if compulsory redundancies are made. The news is the latest blow to the UK’s car industry.
Honda has announced plans to shut its Swindon plant in 2021, while fellow Japanese carmaker Nissan reversed a decision to build its new X-Trail vehicle at its Sunderland plant.
Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India’s Tata Motors, is also cutting jobs.
Ford also has an engine plant in Dagenham, Essex, and a plant making transmissions in Halewood, Liverpool.
Ford announced last month that it was cutting 7,000 white collar jobs worldwide, with up to 550 expected in the UK.
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