Luton workers urge Lord Mandelson to save Vauxhall van jobs as sale
draws closer
3rd July 2009
Ahead of the visit to the Luton IBC van plant today (Friday,
July 3rd), Unite is urging Lord Mandelson to back Britain's leading
white van manufacturer - and save the thousands of jobs depending
on it, not just in Luton, but across UK auto manufacturing.
The call comes as GM Europe continues to seek an investor to
take a major stake in the company, with Magna, the Canadian
components company emerging as possible buyer. The future of the
Luton plant has been thrown into question by the sale even though
it is one of the most productive plants in the GM family.
With Lord Mandelson set to tour the plant and meet the
workforce, Unite is repeating its call to the UK government to do
all it can to defend Vauxhall and IBC jobs. Workers will present
Lord Mandelson with a model of the Vivaro, the van made at the
plant, which, in its nine year lifespan, has won the coveted Van of
the Year title six times.
Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary for Unite, said that
it was vital that the uncertainty about the plant's future was soon
ended: "With workers at the Luton plant extremely worried for their
futures they will be pleased that a government minister is coming
to see for themselves the pride this workforce has in the product
it makes make.
"Clearly we need to make progress on an investor in GM Europe so
that we can safeguard this plant. But it has to be the right buyer
with the right vision, and a pre-requisite of any sale must be that
UK jobs are protected."
Rob Weir, a senior Unite shop steward at the Luton plant, added:
"This plant is one of the most productive and efficient in Europe.
We set the benchmark which other plants must follow and we are a
brilliant advert for British manufacturing.
"So what we want to hear from Lord Mandelson today is that the
UK government is 100 per cent behind us and 100 per cent engaged in
securing the Luton plant's future. If decisions are made on sound
commercial and economic logic, then there should be no doubt that
this plant will thrive and continue to be Britain's premier van
builder."
The Luton IBC van employs 1,450 employees, provides work for a
further 500 in-house contractors and supports another 4,000 or so
jobs across the components and supply chain.
Workers at the plant are so determined to win a future for it
that they have launched their own campaign to mobilise the
community behind the message "We're backing Luton". The workers
will be taking their campaign to the streets of Luton and the main
towns around the plant in the coming weeks to build public
support.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Pauline Doyle on 07976
832 861 and Rob Weir on 07865 059 892
Email to a friend
