Jaguar looking for 600 voluntary job cuts

Car giant Jaguar Land Rover is to extend a voluntary redundancy scheme which could lead to almost 600 jobs being cut, it was revealed today.

The company said an announcement last month for 198 volunteers to leave had been “heavily over-subscribed”.

The company said the programme had now been extended to a further 300 to 400 workers spread across the firm’s plants at Halewood on Merseyside and Solihull and Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands.

The firm, which is owned by Indian motor maker Tata, employs around 15,000 workers in the UK.

Volunteers are being offered nine months' salary as well as a full pension for those over the age of 60.

David Smith, chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover said: “While regrettable these are necessary actions to manage our business through a very challenging period.”

Sales of Land Rover are down for this year in line with most other car firms although sales of Jaguars have increased.

The company said that due to the impact on demand for cars caused by the wider economic downturn it was “prudent” to extend the voluntary redundancy programme to hourly paid workers involved in manufacturing and product development.

The redundancy package was announced following talks with trade union officials.