10:49 am, November 18, 2024
The UK’s biggest trade union has asked Stellantis for reassurance about the future of jobs at the company’s former Vauxhall plants at Ellesmere Port and Luton following slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.
Unite has asked Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares to provide assurances about the future of the factories or face industrial action, as a strategic review of the plants reaches conclusion.
The Ellesmere Port plant is the UK’s first EV-only car factory, while the Luton facility builds mid-size vans for all of the Stellantis brands – namely the Vauxhall Vivaro, Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch and Fiat Scudo, as well as the Toyota Proace under a joint venture agreement.
The internal review is expected to conclude at the end of November 2024 and has left hundreds of workers at the plants facing an uncertain future, with Stellantis citing concerns over the UK government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has said that the Stellantis workforce in the UK has done everything it needs to in order to secure the plants’ future.
‘It’s time for Stellantis to commit to the future of both the Luton and Ellesmere Port plants and end the climate of fear and rumour they have created through this strategic review,’ she said.
‘Carlos Tavares needs to avoid indulging in counterproductive threats and game playing that will only damage Stellantis. If he threatens either plant then he will be met with the collective strength of Unite’s members who will have my full, unequivocal backing and the whole weight of the union behind them.
‘Unite is already having constructive discussions with government and industry to reform the ZEV mandate to protect jobs. Much more must be done, but the transition to electrification will not be achieved by threatening workers.’
Unite has criticised Tavares for what it describes as ‘ultra-aggressive management strategies.’
His management has faced growing opposition across Stellantis’s global factories.
In Italy, employees launched a national strike earlier this year — the first in two decades — and employees in the United States recently voted for industrial action.
