Jaguar Land Rover’s announcement it will build a new engine production plant in the UK is evidence of healthy industrial relations, said the automaker.
Those relations came under considerable strain recently with the accidental death of one of its employees at the Halewood Land Rover plant but majority labour union Unite rallied in support of the manufacturer praising its detailed attention to health and safety.
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“Our CEO [Ralf Speth] would say safety is our number one priority,” a JLR spokesman told just-auto. “There is another report to come from the police and then it will be handled by the Health and Safety Executive.”
The spokesman noted strong industrial relations had been a feature of the booming manufacturer’s success in recent years, hailing their robustness as part of the reason behind the decision to locate the US$554m engine plant in the UK.
“Obviously our employees have been very supportive during the last few years and we signed a landmark agreement with the unions which was about flexibility,” he said.
“The announcement [for] Wolverhampton is testament to that relationship we have with the unions.”
Unite is the largest union at the Halewood plant in north west England that builds the Freelander and Evoque models and has come out four square behind JLR as it investigates the tragedy.
“The car industry is exceptionally health and safety conscious and Jaguar Land Rover in particular,” said Unite national officer Roger Maddison.
