Strike warning by GKN engineering staff
jobs and we’ll discuss what we can do to stay on this site.”
He said he could not understand the move to Erdington.
“This is a profit-making plant and the work’s being moved to a loss-making one,” he said.
“We knew a plant was going to close, but we never expected it to be ours. If anything, we expected work to come our way.”
Dad-of-one Matt Mills, aged 22, from Great Bridge, a product launch co-ordinator at Walsall, added: “The feeling among the workers is one of discontent. We’ve not really been told anything. We all knew there was trouble brewing and we’ve been playing a waiting game to see what happens.”
Fellow worker and grandfather-of-two Mick Argyle, 63, from Aldridge, said: “We’re all good workers and we’ve worked hand-in-hand with management over the last few years. I’m gutted.
“This will be devastating to the area. The factory’s brought in a lot of money around here and now we’re going to lose it.
“There are youngsters in their 20s and 30s with young families who will be on the dole.”
He said staff had been told a consultation period will begin today.
“The best we can hope for is a good redundancy package for everyone,” he added. Forklift driver Paul Brown, 37, from Chasetown, who has been with the company in Walsall for ten years, added: “Nobody knows what’s going on at the moment, it’s pretty miserable.
“A lot of the blokes have had 30 or 40 years working here.”
But GKN’s Chief Executive Nigel Stein said the company had no choice. “The actions being announced are regrettable but absolutely necessary to respond to the global economic downturn that is particularly affecting the automotive industry,” he added. The news comes after the Government last month announced it will provide £2.3 billion of loans to help Britain’s struggling car industry, which has been dismissed as “too little, too late” by the Conservatives.
