Vauxhall has taken the unprecedented step of offering its staff eight months off work during which they will receive thirty per cent of their pay.
The offer has been made to the 2,400 employees at the automotive manufacturer’s plant in Ellsemere Port, Merseyside, but some key members of staff may be exempt from taking it up. The suggested sabbatical will run from January to September.
A spokesperson for General Motors UK, the company that owns Vauxhall, said: “We clearly have a situation where we need to match supply with demand all the time.
“Redundancies are not on the table at the moment, at least not forced redundancies.
Overall parent company – US based General Motors – failed in its bid top secure an emergency bail-out from the US government today along with its peers Chrysler and Ford. The three were asking for $14 billion.
