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ALMOST 1,400 jobs could...
ALMOST 1,400 jobs could be lost at Vauxhallò€™s two UK plants,
according to a leaked business plan from the firmò€™s new owner.
The document worked out by Canadian parts maker Magna
International, which is set to take control of Opel and Vauxhall from General
Motors, proposes 11,000 job cuts across Europe.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) moved to allay fears, however, dismissing reports that the number of job cuts had
already been decided.
ò€œSpeculation on job losses across General
Motors Europe is unhelpful at such early stages of the negotiations,"
said a spokesman. "Every aspect of these negotiations is under very
active discussion and the government is working to secure the best
possible outcome for Vauxhall in the UK.
According to sources, the firmò€™s plan will be discussed with unions and
Governments later this week.
How any losses would be divided across the UK"s Ellesmere
Port and Luton plants has not yet been made clear.
However, union bosses in the UK have previously indicated
that workers at the Luton site, where the Vivaro van is built, could be most at
risk.
Vauxhall currently employs 4,475 staff in the UK.
The leaked plan shows that 4,116 of Opelò€™s German workers could be
laid off, Spain could lose 2,090, and all of the 2,517 workers at its Antwerp
plant in Belgium may be made redundant.
Magna was named the successful bidder for the firm earlier
this month by the German Prime Minister Angela Merkel.
At that time, UK Business Minister, Pat McFadden also gave
the news a cautious welcome, commenting: ò€œOur objective throughout has been to
get the best possible outcome for the Vauxhall workforce and the production
plants in the UK.
We have been in close contact with all parties throughout
including GM in the US and Europe and all the potential bidders.
Now GM has announced its preferred bidder is Magna. We will
now continue our discussions with Magna: they have told us of their commitment
to continuing production at both Ellesmere Port and Luton and we will work to
make sure we get the best possible outcome for the UK.ò€
The bidding process, which began earlier this year, is
reported to have attracted interest from a wide range of parties including
Belgian investment group RHJ.
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