Janus
11th May 2006, 15:04
Originally posted by BBC News
Union workers at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire have walked out, following news that parent firm GM was considering cutting 1,000 jobs.
The "spontaneous" walkout followed "extremely unhelpful" comments by GM's European President Carl Peter Forster, union officials said.
The Ellesmere Port plant stopped operating after the walkout,
Staff on the afternoon shift also walked out shortly after they arrived for work at 1300 GMT.
Mr Forster said the only way forward was to cut one shift from the plant, according to the union.
'Easiest to sack'
If a shift were eliminated, this would lead to 1,000 job losses, the union said, representing about a third of the plant's workforce.
"We would have expected better from such a senior executive of the company," said Roger Maddison of the Amicus union.
"His comments are extremely unhelpful during critical ongoing negotiations between the company and trade unions in Germany."
The talks, which started as GM Europe was opening a design centre in Ruesselsheim, Germany, are not set to end until Friday.
"British car workers are among the best in Europe, but they're the easiest to sack," said Tony Woodley, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union.
"These decisions are not led by business logic, but by the fact that our laws don't protect our workers."
A day before the walkout, Amicus has expressed its opposition to the UK being singled out for job cuts saying it made "no sense".
Instead Amicus said it wanted cuts to be spread throughout Europe's Astra plants in Belgium and Germany.
Amicus said it had put several proposals to the firm which were still being considered, in an attempt to avoid job cuts.
General Motors is assessing production levels at three Astra factories in Europe.
Aims to reduce costs are part of the ailing car firm's wider restructuring plans, which include cutting 12,000 jobs across the continent.
Union workers at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire have walked out, following news that parent firm GM was considering cutting 1,000 jobs.
The "spontaneous" walkout followed "extremely unhelpful" comments by GM's European President Carl Peter Forster, union officials said.
The Ellesmere Port plant stopped operating after the walkout,
Staff on the afternoon shift also walked out shortly after they arrived for work at 1300 GMT.
Mr Forster said the only way forward was to cut one shift from the plant, according to the union.
'Easiest to sack'
If a shift were eliminated, this would lead to 1,000 job losses, the union said, representing about a third of the plant's workforce.
"We would have expected better from such a senior executive of the company," said Roger Maddison of the Amicus union.
"His comments are extremely unhelpful during critical ongoing negotiations between the company and trade unions in Germany."
The talks, which started as GM Europe was opening a design centre in Ruesselsheim, Germany, are not set to end until Friday.
"British car workers are among the best in Europe, but they're the easiest to sack," said Tony Woodley, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union.
"These decisions are not led by business logic, but by the fact that our laws don't protect our workers."
A day before the walkout, Amicus has expressed its opposition to the UK being singled out for job cuts saying it made "no sense".
Instead Amicus said it wanted cuts to be spread throughout Europe's Astra plants in Belgium and Germany.
Amicus said it had put several proposals to the firm which were still being considered, in an attempt to avoid job cuts.
General Motors is assessing production levels at three Astra factories in Europe.
Aims to reduce costs are part of the ailing car firm's wider restructuring plans, which include cutting 12,000 jobs across the continent.