Gone: Ford has reassigned Marin Burela from president and chief executive officer to a new role in China as the automotive giant enforces down days at its Geelong plant. Picture: Tommy Ritchie 45701
Andrew Mathieson
FORD workers will be hundreds of dollars out of pocket heading into Christmas after the company told them to accept more “down days” as car production slows, according to a unionist.
The forced down days coincide with a “reduction” in the Geelong aluminium manifold plant after the motor giant outsourced the fabrication of plastic manifolds to another company in the region.
Production in up to five areas of the Geelong Ford plant will now cease for up to eight days during the remainder of the year, with the first two on Monday and Tuesday this week.
A 40 per cent pay cut from the down days would equate to nearly $500 in lost wages for most workers.
Some are considering topping up their pay packets with benefits from sick and annual leave to make ends meet.
Senior union shop steward Brendan Sexton said “volume changes” forced changes to production schedules.
“I have to say it’s hard on them but I can only say the union has put in good arrangements to help compensate them with those difficulties,” Mr Sexton said.
“In the last (enterprise bargaining agreement), being able to ensure that sick pay could top up those down days addresses a lot of those issues from the union perspective.
“Hopefully not too many people won’t have enough leave and struggle in this period for Christmas.”
The last of the eight scheduled down days included time off on December 16 and 20 in the final days before Christmas.
The setback could affect up to 80 per cent of Geelong operations.
Mr Sexton said the company was having “an each way bet” on production levels.
“Ford are just making sure they’re not caught with too many cars at the end,” he said.
He was confident the down days would not affect contracts with Bosch, which this year saved more than 50 Ford jobs.
Plastic manifolds had started to replace aluminium on Ford models including Territory.
Mr Sexton expected the union would fight to keep jobs at Ford.
“Hopefully we can argue for some in-sourcing and more work and there won’t be an affect on employees,” he said.
The down days follow the reassignment of Geelong’s Marin Burela as Ford Australia president and chief executive officer to the Chinese market this month.
Ford appointed Mr Burela as president and chief two years ago.
