Unions to meet chiefs at Jaguar

Union leaders are planning to hold an emergency meeting with the Jaguar workforce in Coventry this week to discuss closure of the assembly line.

The luxury carmaker faces the threat of a damaging industrial dispute after deciding to end production at the Browns Lane factory with the loss of 1,150 jobs.

The Transport and General Workers’ Union said officials were still digesting the news but would be consulting with the workforce as a matter of priority.

A spokeswoman said: “We need to appraise what actually the company meant by the announcement it made yesterday and what it means for Browns Lane.

“Our next step is to consult with our members and discuss with them any next step they want to take.”

She said a meeting would be scheduled for the coming week.

Bob Ainsworth, MP for Coventry North East, and a former sheet metal worker at the plant, called on Jaguar management to release a breakdown of the plans and to enter into a dialogue with the workforce.

The politician met with Joe Greenwell, chairman and chief executive of Jaguar, yesterday afternoon following the announcement and said he had been frustrated by a lack of detail.

Mr Ainsworth said: “I think that the local community, the workforce and the people representing them are entitled to some disclosure and a reasonable response to reasonable questions.

“How can you take a company seriously when they say they have had to take [a decision] for the good of the company but when you ask them for detail it’s a polite ’mind your own business’.”

He said: “It was not a happy meeting at all. I’m afraid there was no indication that the company is prepared to enter into any dialogue.

“I think the Trades Unions are putting their heads together to see what they can do. I’m fairly sure they aren’t going to let this go.

“We have got to try to fight smart and clever if we are going to resist this in any way.

“We will be looking to get together as many people as we can who are prepared to oppose this move unless we are going to get a reasonable attitude from the company.”

Mr Ainsworth said the firm, which was planning to move production to its Castle Bromwich site in Birmingham, would not be doing so until September 2005.

He added: “We have got a year when we would at least be able to enter into some discussions, see if there are any alternatives to put to the company.

“This is the start of a long campaign to force the company to at least be open to enter into dialogue.”

The firm, owned by US car giant Ford, said it could not continue to sustain losses so would transfer work.

Around 750 white collar workers and 400 production staff will lose their jobs but Ford has pledged there will be no compulsory redundancies and tried to sweeten the devastating blow by announcing the creation of 300 new posts at its Aston Martin plant in nearby Gaydon.

The Coventry factory, where the famous E-ype model was built, will continue to employ 310 workers producing wood veneer, while 425 will transfer to the Castle Bromwich site.