Vauxhall update meeting

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey will be updating Unite shop stewards at Vauxhall’s Luton plant on the current situation of the automaker’s sale to PSA when he visits the plant tomorrow (March 24).

The meeting with shop stewards, where the award winning Vivaro van is manufactured, starts at 10:30am and is one a series of ‘update’ meetings which will take place as the sale of Vauxhall progresses over the coming months.

Praising the skills of Vauxhall workers as world class, McCluskey will say that he is confident that together they can convince PSA that the plant is an asset with a long-term future beyond the current production run of the Vivaro van.

“Vauxhall in Luton is one of the largest private sector employers in the area,” said Unite general secretary Len McCluskey ahead of the visit. “A source of decent jobs, the plant sustains as many 35,000 jobs in the supply chain and local service sector.

“Highly skilled and efficient in the production of an award winning van, the Luton workforce is simply world class. I’m confident if people continue to believe in themselves and stick together we can convince the new owners, PSA, that Luton is a valuable asset with a long term future beyond the current production run.

“With many of the components used in Luton coming from Europe it is vital that the UK government plays its part too in ensuring that the plant remains competitive with tariff free access to the single market. A failure to do so risks higher production costs than counterparts on the continent, putting UK workers at a disadvantage.”

Tomorrow’s meeting comes ahead of Saturday’s (March 25) special Unite conference to secure the future of the automotive industry at Birmingham’s ICC. Bringing together representatives of its 95,000 auto members with industry leaders, the conference will outline a programme of investment and development for a vital UK industry.

The conference runs from 10am – 3pm. Media wishing to attend the conference should email: taylor.humphris@unitetheunion.org to register.