Redundant Bombardier workers offered lifeline

Posted on 22 Aug 2011 by The Manufacturer

The subsidiary of Indian-owned Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, has offered employment opportunities to previous Bombardier employees, stating a need for skilled engineers after record profits.

After experiencing record growth last year, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said it wants to take on hundreds of skilled engineers, and specifically appealed to those made redundant by Bombardier in Derby to consider applying for jobs at the company. JLR posted its first £1bn-plus profit last year amid rising export sales.

The automotive manufacturer previously announced it planned to take on up to 1,000 new workers at its plants in Solihull in Birmingham, and Castle Bromwich and Halewood in Merseyside.

A company spokeswoman said: “We appreciate that these workers will have laid down roots in Derby and we would hope that thanks to the great motorway links that it would not be too much of a commute for them if they came to work for us.”

Workers at Bombardier were told earlier this year that almost half of the workforce at the Derby plant was to be made redundant after the company lost the Thameslink rail contract to Siemens.

George Archer