Up to 200 workers at Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) Halewood site could be set for redundancy before the end of this financial year, as the company has launched a voluntary redundancy scheme. The Merseyside factory is offering eligible employees the chance to leave, which includes an early retirement programme.
It’s understood that as many as 200 staff may take up this offer. Employees at the plant were reportedly informed about the potential redundancies by their union reps. Shop floor workers are believed to be the ones affected, rather than those in management positions.
A spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover told the ECHO: “As part of normal business practice we regularly offer eligible employees the opportunity to leave through an early retirement programme alongside small voluntary redundancy schemes.”
Decisions on who will leave the company will depend on eligibility and application success, with the possibility of reaching 200 departures, although not all applicants will be approved. There are no plans for compulsory redundancies, reports the Liverpool Echo.
This development adds to the uncertainty for JLR Halewood workers, who earlier this month expressed concerns to the ECHO about potentially losing around £400 per month due to a proposed shift change from two shifts per day to just one in April.
While the base salaries will remain unchanged, workers at the site are set to lose the additional pay they receive for working unsociable shifts. The firm is implementing these changes as part of its strategy to transform the plant following the announcement of a £500m investment aimed at gearing up for electric vehicle production.
The contentious decision was communicated to employees by Halewood management. Unite union labelled the way this news was delivered as “both unacceptable and deeply frustrating”. In light of the situation, JLR has extended an apology.
Furthermore, it has been disclosed that soon after breaking the news about the significant alterations, Mr Leeks will be departing from his role as operations director at Halewood. Staff were informed that he has accepted a new position as operations director for JLR’s Solihull factory.
Luis Vara, JLR’s director of global manufacturing announced that Brian Stone, currently overseeing operations in China, will step in to manage Halewood in addition to running JLR’s Brazil plant.