Punch Metals is confirming it has submitted an offer to the Flanders government that could see 200 stamping jobs saved at Ford’s Genk plant in Eastern Belgium, although furious unions insist the administration could do far more.
The ABVV union is dramatically comparing efforts made by the neighbouring Dutch government to ease Mitsubishi’s Nedcar transition to BMW, with what it hints is a lack of effort from its Flanders counterpart.
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The US automaker is poised to wield the axe on Genk around 18 December, making 4,300 direct staff redundant, with the spill-over effect through the supply chain possibly seeing thousands more join the queues for the unemployment office.
Ford’s decision to end production at Genk recently saw Mondeo output ended as its Valencia plant increases production with the redesigned version and by the end of this year, the Spanish site will start the replacement for the S-Max.
But Genk’s closure also coincides with a massive wave of industrial unrest sweeping Belgium as furious unions protest at what they see is the newly-elected right-of-centre government’s unnecessary rush to austerity.
“Yes, of course we have made an offer, it is 200 jobs,” a Punch Metals spokesman, told just-auto from the stamper’s Belgian headquarters in Hamont-Achel. “The investment plan for the future is hot forming, that is correct.
“We are speaking with everybody – that includes unions. It is the Flanders government that has to make the decision – we are waiting.
“There are many meetings scheduled – it is an internal decision of the Flanders government.”
The socialist ABVV union – at the heart of orchestrating next week’s massive public transport strike – has also fired a direct salvo across the bows of government authorities insisting much more could be done to help Genk.
“They are doing nothing at all to help us,” ABVV regional president, Rohnny Champagne, told just-auto from Belgium. “If you compare their efforts to what Mitsubishi did and combine with the Flanders government, that is exactly what has made the difference between the success effect in Holland and Genk.
“Mitsubishi and the Dutch government were lucky BMW was searching for capacity.”
Mitsubishi sold its Nedcar plant, former home of DAF, Volvo and Mitsubishi vehicles as a Mini hatchback contract assembler. Nedcar closed in November, 2012, after building its last Mitsubishi Colt, with the plant renovated for the Mini contract.
“It is a combination of luck and hard work,” said Champagne. “If you are not out there, soliciting half the world in your search for new employment, you won’t find anything.
“I think in the [Dutch] plant it was 1,500 guys and now as for as my intelligence is going, when they are on full capacity there will be more employed now then there were before.”
Earlier this week, Ford told just-auto it had signed an agreement with the Flemish government concerning Genk, which gave them exclusive marketing rights.
“That was really consistent with [the] commitment to make our social responsibilities,” said a Ford spokesman. “The idea was it would provide a framework to secure a viable, industrial use for the site.
“That commitment is still there and the stakeholders [including unions] are still trying to find uses, especially industrial uses, for the site. Obviously, the stakeholders, led by the Flemish government, are still looking.”
Early last year, Punch Metals International, a company of the industrial investor, Guido Dumarey, acquired General Motors’ entire Strasbourg business, including the production plant, engineering centre and die casting operation, a move hailed by ABVV, as what could happen to Genk.
The Flanders government did not return repeated calls.
