One comment on this reads - - - “The UK 'gave up' its motor manufacturing decades ago prefering to invest in the service sector as it was deemed to be more profitable the folly of failing to keep the diversity in industry that made us a world force has come home to bite us.
We have no control over much of our manufacturing or utilities they are all in 'foreign hands'. We are therefore at the end of the 'chain' and will only get the leftovers. From Magna/Opels point of view having all plants on 'one land mass' is more cost effective the 'old problem' of us with the fluctuating 'Pound' against most of Europe in the 'Euro' makes costings more difficult to calculate”.
Christina
SKY NEWS 22.9.09
BREAKING NEWS 2:26pm UK, Tuesday September 22, 2009 • Ricky Celebrates Directorial Debut
Magna May Cut 1,800 Vauxhall Car Jobs
==Magna plans to cut 1,830 jobs from its Vauxhall operations in the UK.
Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley told Sky News the job losses would be "right across this company".
General Motors made Magna the preferred bidder for Vauxhall and Opel earlier this month in a move that raised fears of job losses in the UK.
But the jobs toll is set to be higher than feared, Mr Woodley said.
"The truth of the Magna deal is unravelling before our eyes," Mr Woodley said.
"The job losses are the beginning of the end for Vauxhall because that's what they're planning.
"We are demanding an immediate meeting with Magna in order for this deal to be renegotiated to so that everyone across europe feels they're being treated even handedly and fairly."
He accused Magna of being involved in a "political stich-up" with the German government.
"Magna has got to come to the table.. if not then the EU and the commission should rule this as being anti-competitive, unfair to a number of countries and they should block the deal and block it immediately," he said.
Sky sources say 1,000 jobs are at risk at the Luton plant in Bedfordshire but the axe will not fall until 2013.
The job losses would effectively end production at Luton, where 300 workers would be left.
Some 830 jobs would come under threat at Ellesmere Port when Magna takes over in November.
A report in a German newspaper today claimed that the Canadian car parts maker Magna had plans to cut 1,400 jobs in Britain.
The report said no final decision had been taken and discussions were continuing.
Vauxhall employs 5,500 workers at Ellesmere and Luton.
GM employs 25,000 people in Germany and operates four plants.
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AND ON SKY NEWS
Mr Woodley said that the job losses announced for the Vauxhall plants in the UK were a result of a "disgraceful political stitch up" between new owner Magna and the German government.
He said that the EU should "block the deal and block the deal immediately", adding it was unacceptable "if Magna get away with a disgraceful political stitch up that they've done unfortunately with the German govenrment prior to a German election."
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