JCB announces up to 950 jobs at risk of redundancy
JCB has announced that up to 950 jobs are at risk of redundancy at its UK plants after demand for its machines fell by half as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
The company has written to employees today to advise staff that roles are under threat at its 10 plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham.
The job losses have been announced as a result of the disruption caused to business by the COVID-19 crisis, which will see annual production halved.
A 45-day consultation period will begin on Monday. The JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said the decision is extremely tough but that the company “had no choice but to make difficult decisions to adapt to this new economic reality”.
He said: “It is deeply regrettable that we have had to take these steps to restructure the business and that it will have an impact on so many people.
"No business could have anticipated the scale of the COVID-19 crisis and its economic consequences. JCB has had to act quickly for the long-term survival of the business, which has been at the heart of our decision-making throughout this difficult period.”
The consultation over the proposed JCB job losses will begin on Monday, May 18th, when discussions with staff representatives will start.
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