Ford to cut 450 jobs

Andrew Mathieson
Ford would slash 450 jobs at its Geelong and Broadmeadows plants under a new round of cuts, the company announced yesterday.
New company president Marin Burela confirmed the cuts after speculation this week over how many staff would lose their jobs.
However, Geelong senior shop steward Brendan Sexton said Mr Burela told unionists during a meeting earlier in the day that the cuts would reach 800 jobs “on top” of losses Ford announced over the past two years.
“It’s hard to work out the total number because a lot of the guys won’t go until 2010 but the cuts now are 800,” Mr Sexton said.
The motor giant announced in 2006 it would cut 600 jobs by 2010 before revealing earlier this year another 350 cuts.
Employees have accused Ford management of leaving them in the dark on the new round of job cuts.
Ford invited leading union officials to the meeting yesterday with Mr Burela to discuss the impact of the world economic crisis on car manufacturers.
Mr Sexton said unions had hit a stalemate with the company in negotiations on final redundancy packages.
“That has been a sticking point with some of the unions.”
Trade employees were unhappy about a reduced offer of 3.1 weeks’ pay for every year of service, he said. Unions wanted 4.1 weeks’ leave and were encouraging members to refuse the company offer.
Mr Sexton said Ford was offering a sweetener of $1000 for each year of service to workers who agreed to the redundancy deal before November 7.
Ford spokesperson Sinead McAlary said negotiations on the payouts were continuing.
“We’re still talking with our employees about job cuts, so the process has just started and it will be some weeks before we know the answer to that,” she said.
“We’re relatively confident that by offering a voluntary program that we’ll achieve the number of people we are looking for. If it becomes absolutely necessary to look at other alternatives in the future, we’ll deal with that then.”