Union slam Honda as 'callous' as it confirms Swindon plant closure with loss of 3,500 jobs
After months of uncertainty it has been confirmed that Honda will close its Swindon plant in 2021 - with up to 3,500 employees now facing redundancy.
The announcement was made today [May 13] to employees that the manufacturing plant will stop production when the current car model comes to the end of its production cycle.
Union Unite says the process of telling employees was "unbelievably dehumanising", and consisted of showing a DVD to confirm the closure.
Steve Preddy, regional secretary, said: "Workers were shunted into a room and shown a DVD confirming the plant closure. They were then told if they had any questions to go to their union rep or HR.
"Workers have been left stunned by the utter callousness of the company, which has chosen to deliver this devastating news to their loyal workforce first by media leaks and then by DVD. It's unbelievably dehumanising."
The Japanese industry giant told workers at the Swindon factory that, following a "meaningful and robust" consultation, no viable alternatives to the closure have been found.
A number of organisations and groups took part in the consultation, including the Government and external consultants drafted by the Unite union.
Business Secretary Greg Clark has said in a statement that he is "disappointed" in Honda's decision to close the plant, but that those affected will be given the support they need.
Unite, which represents a number of the workers dubbed the news as a "body blow which is nothing short of a betrayal of the workforce".
Des Quinn says Unite is still waiting for "detailed reasons" from Honda for the closure. He added that Unite's alternative plans for the future of the plant "added up and was likely to be backed by the Government with public money".
Mr Quinn also put forward the argument that keeping the Swindon plant open would have left Honda in a good position to be at the forefront of electric vehicle technology:
In a statement Honda confirmed that the employee redundancy process will start immediately.
The car manufacturer announced plans to consider the closure of the plant in February, with no firm decision made until now.