Jaguar Land Rover Workers Vote to Save Jobs

LONDON, March 5 -- Workers at Jaguar Land Rover have today voted overwhelmingly to back proposals their unions believe will help retain jobs at the vehicle manufacturer.

The workers employed at JLR's Gaydon, Whitley, Castle Bromwich, Halewood, Solihull and Browns Lane sites voted by 70 per cent to back proposals recommended by their unions, Unite and the GMB, which would see the working week reduced to four days and pay frozen for one year in order to ensure continued production and avoid compulsory redundancies.

In a joint statement following the ballot result, the unions said:

"We did not want our members in JLR to be faced with the same fate as the thousands of others who have been dismissed in other companies. Our members in JLR deserve better - much better. The management agreed with our view that, when this unprecedented recession ends, that the retention of a skilled and loyal workforce is an integral part to the ongoing success of this business.

"The union and our members were faced with a difficult choice, but no less difficult than the choices we have had to make in recent times. When the business was sold to Tata we faced up to that challenge together and delivered the best possible agreement which safeguarded our plants and our members' jobs. We did not work hard for that to see wholesale redundancies less than 12 months later.

"The choice for our members was clear - further mass redundancies or what is undoubtedly some short-term pain in order to secure the future for our members and their families.

"Only the latter could have been in the best interests of our members. The harsh reality is that some of our members would have faced the prospect of a future of uncertainty and little prospect of quality employment for the foreseeable future. We believe that is too high a price to pay for any of our members, let alone the substantial numbers of workers at risk if this agreement had failed. Concessions on pay and benefits that the unions have negotiated hard over many years are not made lightly, but our members acknowledge the stark reality which is, there is little point in having the best terms and conditions of employment if you have no job or no company left to pay them.

"Our members should be commended for the decision they have taken today. This was an excellent result for the unions and great show of solidarity from our members for which the unions are very proud."

For further information contact Pauline Doyle (Unite press office) on +44(0)7976-832-861