500 Jaguar Land Rover staff to be sent home for Christmas as sales fall
Jaguar Land Rover have said that workers at the engine production plant will be sent home on full pay over the period between December 7 and December 21
STAFF at a Jaguar Land Rover factory in Wolverhampton are to be sent home for Christmas as sales fall for the car giant.
In the two weeks to Christmas, 500 workers will be taken out of the factory in a "temporary" move as production is slowed down at the plant.
Jaguar Land Rover have said that workers at the engine production plant, which makes two-litre diesel and petrol engines for most of the company's models, will be sent home on full pay over the period between December 7 and December 21.
Around 1,600 people work at the factory at the i54 business park in Wolverhampton, but only 500 will be sent home at any one time.
The move comes as sales have fallen around the world which has caused the company to cut back on car production at its UK sites.
The company has said while it is continuing to "invest heavily" in UK manufacturing, the "external environment" remains challenging.
Jaguar Land Rover, who reported a 4.6 per cent drop in global sales in October compared to last year, also announced job losses in Solihull as manufacturing is set to move to Slovakia.
However it's understood the axing of around 200 agency jobs at the plant in the New Year was expected after the move to Slovakia was confirmed in June.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Jaguar Land Rover is continuing to invest heavily in its UK manufacturing operations with significant investment recently committed to Halewood for production of the new Range Rover Evoque and Solihull which will build the next generation of Range Rover.
"The external environment remains challenging and the company is taking decisive actions to achieve the necessary operational efficiencies to safeguard long-term success.
"To deliver a growing range of electrified cars for our customers we are making tough decisions, but the transformation of the business relies on this."
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The spokesperson continued: "Today, we have confirmed that Solihull will make some changes to its production schedule to reflect fluctuating demand globally and forthcoming infrastructure works resulting from the cessation of Discovery which will move, as already confirmed, to Slovakia early in the new year.
"Customer orders will not be impacted by any of these changes.
"In response to adjustments in vehicle production schedules, the Engine Manufacturing Centre will take a temporary pause in production in its machine and assembly halls. Maintenance and salaried staff will continue as normal and those impacted continue to receive full pay for this period."
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