500 Jobs Set To Go At Wolverhampton

In common with other manufacturers in the UK, Goodyear has been suffering cost and productivity problems at its plant, which is not competitive in global markets. In October last year, Goodyear Wolverhampton took the step of issuing an HR1 notice to the Department of Trade & Industry, which in effect gave the workforce a number of possible solutions to the problem and a 90-day deadline to arrive at an answer. Since the issuing of the notice, discussions have been on-going between management and unions to try to thrash out a mutually-acceptable solution.

Eventually, such a solution was agreed, which involved workers moving from a four-shift to a five-shift system, and which was recommended to the workforce by the unions. However, this recommendation was ignored and, in a ballot of the Wolverhampton workforce, the proposal was rejected. The reaction of Goodyear’s management to this was immediately to announce that it had “no other option other than to instigate actions that will make some 500 associates redundant from the Wolverhampton plant.

Later it was announced that “only” 240 jobs are to be lost at Goodyear’s Wolverhampton factory. This is on top of 215 redundancies earlier in January, but the total figure of 455 is less than was originally expected after cost-cutting proposals from management were rejected by the workforce, despite being recommended by the unions. A Goodyear spokesman is reported as saying that the job losses could save the plant from closure.