A Vauxhall convoy paraded around Westminster today in order to save the jobs of company workers in Luton. Its main message was to draw attention to the uncertain fate of the firm’s factories in Ellesmere Port in Merseyside and Luton.
Talks between General Motors European arm Opel, which includes Vauxhall and potential buyer RHJ International have been well under way and negotiations maintain that the the two sites will be retained. Also in the running for takeover of Vauxhall are Magna International, the favoured bidder based in Canada and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding.
Should the sites be closed over 5000 could possibly lose their jobs, which will only add to the rising unemployment figure in the United Kingdom. Workers became anxious over job security when US General Motors branch filed for bankruptcy protection forcing the sale of the European arm.
Len McCluskey, the union Unites general secretary, stressed the urgency of the situation and explained that workers “came to parliament today because they wanted the support of MPs and to fight for the future of Britain car manufacturing industry”.
The convoy included cars from across Vauxhall history including a 1966 Viva, 1982 Chevette right up to 2002 Vectra to demonstrate the importance of the car industry to the lives of the people in Luton and Merseyside.
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