'Painful blow for loyal workforce'

Unite has described the announcement that 1,100 agency workers at JLR’s factories will lose their jobs as more devastating news for the UK’s automotive communities.

The workers are employed by the agency Manpower and principally work on the car production line. The job losses are a result of a sharp decline in car sales as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is understood that there will be around 400 job losses at JLR’s plant at Solihull with the remaining job losses spread over the company’s other sites in the West Midlands and Merseyside.

Manpower will now seek to find other engagements for the workers but without success it will be required to make them redundant.

Unite had successfully ensured that the affected workers were furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic but is concerned that the delay in a sector support package is propelling companies to shed workers.

It is expected that the workers will leave JLR at the time of the summer shutdown.

Unite national officer Des Quinn said, “This is a painful blow for a loyal workforce.

“Given the unprecedented drop in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was all but inevitable that job losses would be announced,” he added.

“It is another devastating blow for our auto sector and the communities that rely on them for jobs.  We urge the government to get on with delivering the urgently needed sector support package, as other countries such as France and Germany have done, so that we can stem the tide of redundancies.

“Unite will ensure that the affected workers are fully represented and assisted during this difficult and stressful period. If workers are made redundant then Unite will ensure they receive everything they are legally entitled to.”

By Barckley Sumner