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Job losses at Honda in Swindon

99 people are to be made redundant at Honda's Swindon factory. It follows a consultation on voluntary redundancies as production is cut at the site.

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340 jobs under threat at Swindon's Honda factory

Japanese car giant Honda is to cut production at its UK factory in Swindon from three shifts to two, threatening 340 jobs.

Most cars built at the plant are exported and sales in other countries have not been as strong as in the UK.

Over the last 12 months, we haven't seen the growth we'd anticipated. With no increase forecast for the next couple of years, we must scale our manufacturing activity accordingly.

However, with the restructuring we're taking today, and our new model plans, we remain confident in the long-term future of our Swindon plant.

Our Swindon operation continues to be the hub for our European car manufacturing activity.

– Ian Howells, senior vice president of Honda Motor Europe

Honda said it will enter into consultation on a proposal to reduce the workforce by 340 production employees.

As well as moving to two shifts, production will be consolidated on to one line, to "improve production flexibility and efficiency" while production volumes continue at the current level.

These job losses are a devastating blow, not just for these workers but for the thousands more across the industry whose work is dependent on the Honda plant.

Today's losses are also a wake-up call to the UK government. The economy is far too fragile to proclaim a recovery - those workers losing their jobs today will find claims that the country is turning a corner an insult.

The truth is that there is simply no pick up in the incomes of Honda's customers, either here or in the eurozone. People are not confident and do not have the cash to spend.

– Tony Murphy, Unite union
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