Vauxhall workers still hope to change owner's mind on Luton factory closure

Vauxhall workers facing redundancy are holding out hope that they can convince owner Stellantis to change its mind and keep their factory open.

More than a thousand workers, including apprentices just starting their careers, are set to lose their jobs if the planned closure of the Luton plant goes ahead.

Vauxhall's parent company Stellantis announced at the end of November that it would be shutting the Bedfordshire factory and moving production of its electric vans to Ellesmere Port in April next year.

As they staged a day-long protest outside the plant, staff said whole families were set to be devastated by the decision. Four generations of Paul Geary's family have worked for Vauxhall, including his father, grandfather, and daughter.

The union representative, who has worked at the plant for 33 years, said: "It's not just the people who work here. It's the supply chain, the local cafes. Luton will be dead without it.

"This is the home of Vauxhall. This is where Vauxhall started in 1905. For the corporation to take that legacy from the people of Luton, the people of Bedfordshire, it's disgusting."

Mr Geary said staff had "done everything they could" to prepare the factory for electric vehicle production and had consistently met all targets set by the company. They believed they were helping to future-proof the site.

"The workforce here, it's extraordinary," he said. "They are the best by far. They have done everything in their power. You couldn't ask more from a workforce."

Announcing the closure, Stellantis blamed the UK's "stringent" zero-emission vehicle mandate which requires at least 22% of new cars sold by each manufacturer to be zero emission.

Just eight months earlier, it had confirmed plans to bring electric vehicle production to Luton in 2025.

Unions were due to meet with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Tuesday to urge government to do what it can to avoid the closure.

Gary Reay, plant convenor for Unite the Union, said he believed there was still a chance Stellantis would change its mind.

"This is a plant that makes a lot of money for the organisation," he said. "It's made some significant changes over the last 12 to 18 months.

"The membership have been working hard, working with management to secure a future.

"We believe we can continue to be a viable plant to build vehicles going forward."

Billy Davison followed a long line of family members to work at Vauxhall, and took an apprenticeship at the recommendation of his father.

He stills hopes the factory will be saved - but said he had no choice but to begin looking elsewhere for a job.

"I'm devastated," he said. "I've worked there for four years trying to do something. We've got to find something else but with a lack of experience, it's quite hard."

Joshua Hall, 18, joined Vauxhall as a mechatronics apprentice two and a half years ago when he finished college.

"To find out it was all crashing down was awful," he said. "The plan was that I could stay on here for many years to come - gain experience, finish my apprenticeship.

"I don't know what's going to happen now. Don't know what's for me in the future."

In a statement, Vauxhall owner Stellantis said it remained in consultation with unions over proposals to consolidate its "UK manufacturing footprint" at Ellesmere Port, moving production of its mid-sized van away from Luton.

"In the event that the company proposal is implemented, a comprehensive support plan for impacted employees in Luton, including hundreds of jobs to be relocated to the Ellesmere Port manufacturing site, will be made available with dedicated support," it added.

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