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19/02/2019

Honda’s UK Car Unit To Be Closed, 3000 To Be Jobless: Reports




Honda’s UK Car Unit To Be Closed, 3000 To Be Jobless: Reports
The manufacturing unit of the Japanese auto manufacturer Honda in Swindon, England would be closed down resulting in job losses for about 3000 employees, the company is set to announce.
 
According to a report by the Press Association quoting workers at the Wiltshire factory, the possible announcement has left them "devastated". It is expected that the Japanese company would make the announcement in a day or two.  
 
There has been no comments on t he issue form Honda.
 
The news was disappointing, Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland told the media, because it was just about six months ago that the top honchos of Honda had assured the company’s total support for the manufacturing unit.
 
"Honda have been very clear - this decision has been made because of the global trends and is not related to Brexit. Honda have told us today that they will be consulting with all staff and there is not expected to be any job losses or change in production until 2021," said the politicians in a statement after they had met up with Honda and Business Secretary Greg Clark.
 
According news reports, employees of the company in the Wiltshire town were very angered with the news. 55 per cent of the town had voted in favour of Brexit in the 2016 referendum.
 
The closure was squarely blamed on Brexit by one of the workers of the town according to the Press Association report. That worker had been employed at the plant for the last 24 years. According to the news report, that Remain voter said: "Perfectly viable car plant operating for 30 years, no problem at all - as soon as Brexit comes along the plant needs investment. People like Justin Tomlinson, our MP, campaigned for this Brexit. He wanted Brexit - he gets to carry the can. If he's not unseated by a massive majority at the next election then this town gets what it deserves."
 
Asked how he felt about the news, the man replied: "Pretty hacked off, to be fair."
 
The report also quoted Alan Tomala, regional officer for the Unite union, and a former employee at the plant between 1995 and 2007, as saying that the workers were "angry, dismayed and worried. If the speculation is to be confirmed, 3,500 jobs are at risk."
 
"The usual formula is one job in the plant equates to four in the supply chain and the local economy. If closure is confirmed, it will rip the heart out of this area," he said.  More than 1200 workers at the plant are members of the union and they did not have any information about whether the news was true or not.
 
"For employees, our members and the wider workforce, both in the plant and in the supply chain, to hear about this through the media I think is disrespectful and disgraceful," Mr Tomala said. "The workforce in there deserve better than that."
 
The closure would be "devastating for Swindon, for jobs, for the supply chain, and for the UK's car industry", said Labour MP Rachel Reeves, chairwoman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee.
 
"The threat of Brexit is already having a damaging impact on investment decisions in the UK. The PM now needs to rule out no deal immediately and keep us in the single market and customs union rather than risk further fatal damage to our car industry," she added.
 
(Source:www.rte.ie)

Christopher J. Mitchell

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