BMW has announced a cull of 850 members of staff from its Mini plant in Oxford, as it winds up weekend working.
Most of the cuts will be suffered by agency staff, the German firm has said, with the changes go into effect from early March.
“While Mini has been weathering the economic downturn, it is not immune from the challenges of the current situation,” a company statement read. “Against this backdrop, the company felt that a review of its shift patterns was necessary. This decision has not been taken lightly. The plant’s union representatives have, of course, been involved in the discussions.”
The Mini factory follows ones from Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston martin to announce major redundancy plans over the last month as dire demand takes its toll on the automotive industry. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry’s manufacturing dinner two weeks ago, Jaguar Land Rover chief David Smith said government’s £2.3bn support package for UK car producers needs to be fast-tracked for it to have any effect on the ailing industry.
