Restructuring at the Cheshire plant set to slim down the workforce by 241, with the aim to offer voluntary redundancies to the staff
Vauxhall has announced that a restructure in staffing at its Ellesmere Port plant will result in the loss of 241 jobs through 2019.
Insiders state that the restructuring is not related to Brexit. Instead, the introduction of new technologies and the reduction in the size of the Cheshire-based site are the primary reasons for slimming down the current 1,145-strong workforce.
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The brand started a 45-day consultation period on 23 November with trade union and employee representatives to ensure that the consequences of the reduction in numbers, which will be phased in throughout the course of next year, are mitigated as much as possible to those involved.
Primarily, this means that Vauxhall aims to make the reduncies voluntary, and will offer the employees the option and necessary support to relocate to its Luton plant if they so choose.
Back in April it was announced that Luton would produce not only the next Vivaro van but its PSA alternatives, the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch. This is set to increase its overall production output from 70,000 to 100,000 units.
Ellesmere Port currently builds both the Astra hatchback (which is also produced in Poland) and the Astra Sports Tourer (manufactured exclusively in the UK). It currently makes around 92,000 cars a year, 90 percent of which are exported to other markets. Despite the lower staff numbers, output is expected to stay the same in 2019.
What do you think the future holds for Ellesmere Port? Let us know in the comments…
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