Union leaders keep pressure on Vauxhall’s new owners

Union leaders are keeping up the pressure on the new owners of car giant Vauxhall to protect its plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton.

Unite has held a series of meetings with Canadian car parts firm Magna International and UK government officials, which are set to continue over the next week.

Unite’s joint general secretary Tony Woodley said there were still no guarantees for the long-term future of the two UK factories.

“The situation is very serious,” he said, adding that there were continued fears that 1,000 jobs could be cut in the UK.

Mr Woodley said 25,000 jobs were dependant on the Vauxhall plants as 400 component firms rely on the carmaker for business.

“It is not economic to carry any surplus capacity in the industry, but we believe in sharing the pain.” he continued.

Mr Woodley has already complained of a ‘political stitch-up’ after the German government offered a huge amount of money to Magna, which he claimed was aimed at securing jobs in Germany.

Without guarantees of future investment, there would be ‘major problems’ at the UK factories after 2013, he warned.