Workers at Vauxhall car plants are holding unofficial walkouts in support of colleagues set to lose their jobs because of a shock decision to end car production at Luton, Ananova reports. Production at the company’s Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire has been hit as employees downed tools in a gesture of solidarity.
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Workers at a huge Vauxhall warehouse in Luton have also walked out.
The action follows angry scenes at the Luton motor plant, which is to stop building cars within 15 months with the loss of 2,000 jobs.
Police have been called to the plant as workers lay siege to the head office, forcing chairman Nick Reilly to try to explain the decision.
The fresh action was launched ahead of a meeting between union leaders and Mr Reilly in London.
The unions have pledged to fight the decision to end production of the Vectra model at Luton, warning that up to 10,000 jobs could eventually be lost because of the effect on firms which supply the plant with goods and services.
Transport and General Workers Union general secretary Bill Morris says he is demanding to know from Vauxhall why it is closing a plant which has been assumed to be viable.
He said: “The T&G, in common with the rest of the British public, reject the shabby treatment dished out to our car industry by manufacturers.
“Once again we are seeing a British solution enacted to a global problem because our workers are easier and cheaper to sack.”
