Swansea auto components plant closure leaves Unite members
devastated
25 November 2010
Unite, the UK's largest union, has condemned the closure of
Linamar’s Swansea plant with the loss of 200 highly skilled jobs
and blames the management over the way it has handled the company
since the take-over a couple of years ago.
Unite national officer for the automotive industry, Roger
Maddison, said: “This is a sad time for our members at Linamar who
are devastated as the plant in Swansea closes for business this
week. Unite condemns Linamar’s management for deceiving its
workforce. Since taking over from Visteon the promises of inward
investment never materialised.
“Linamar's plan was based on workers accepting massive
reductions to wages and conditions. It wanted to bring low cost
work in by offering low cost economy wages to south Wales.
“It beggars belief that Linamar can find millions of pounds to
close the plant in Swansea and move work to Mexico, yet it could
not find that same money to invest in a highly skilled and
committed workforce.
“Our members have paid the ultimate price by being dumped onto
the industrial scrap heap just for defending the pay they had
fought for over the 40 years the plant has been open.
“Linamar should be ashamed of what it has done to a workforce
who had welcomed the company as a new employer only a couple of
years ago.”
The Swansea plant, which employed around 200 workers, had been
open since the 1960s and was formerly owned by Ford and Visteon
before being acquired by the US-based Linamar Corporation in
2008.
ENDS
For further information contact Roger Maddison on 07887 658253
or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite press office on 020 7420 8914 or
07980 224 761.
Email to a friend
