Ellesmere Port saved by GM

Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port production facility has been saved by GM after workers and unions agreed to changes in working conditions that will see the plant BOOSTED to 24-hour production.

Why Ellesmere Port should survive

Workers voted for a new deal that will move the plant from two-shift production over to three shifts. This will see the new Astra, due 2015, produced around the clock.

Ellesmere Port ‘is saved’: common sense prevails

The deal saves 2,100 jobs and will lead to 700 MORE jobs being created at the big facility near Liverpool. A further 4,000 more jobs will be created in the supply chain, according to business secretary Vince Cable.

The deal marks a real turnaround for Ellesmere Port, which was threatened with closure after GM announced big losses for its European division.

Ellesmere Port’s impressive record of productivity is said to have been a factor behind GM’s decision. It produces 47 cars an hour over two shifts, which the BBC says is a company record.

The Bochum plant, where the Astra is currently produced, produces just 30 cars an hour over three shifts a day. British workers’ skills thus played a key role in Astra production being saved.

Strong support by the British Government also helped secure the plant’s future. In February, business secretary Vince Cable flew to the US for a meeting with GM CEO Dan Akerson and vice chairman Steven Girsky. This is said to have played a role in GM’s decision.