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MP to meet Ford chiefs over the future of plant
A SECRETARY of state is to meet with Ford bosses to discuss the future of the Southampton plant, the Daily Echo can reveal.
The company promised the top-level meeting with Labour MP for Southampton Itchen John Denham as the Daily Echo reported that 125 jobs were about to be axed and that production was to be slashed.
Mr Denham has raised his concerns about the future of the plant with Government officials, trade unions and local councillors.
The secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills said: "It is very important to keep as much activity as possible in Southampton.
"The motor industry goes in cycles and the more work we can keep here, the better our chances of picking up more work in the future."
Mr Denham has been working closely with officials at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
A date for his meeting with senior Ford managers has yet to be fixed.
This is not the first time the future of the motoring giant has been raised at the highest level.
The day after the Echo broke the news that the plant was under review the matter was brought up in the House of Commons by Labour MP for Southampton Test Alan Whitehead who urged the Government to help safeguard the future of the plant.
Leaked company documents published by the Echo revealed that the plant was running at a deficit of £6m against budget and that it was at risk of losing the contract for the new model transit.
The factory output is to be cut tomorrow and all 125 workers on short-term contracts will be out of a job on October 3.
These jobs cuts have sparked fears over the future of the plant and its workforce of more than 1,000.
11:06am Monday 25th August 2008
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CommentPosted by: Grumpy on 11:48am Mon 25 Aug 08
As if a member of our government will have any real influence over a large US company which is only interested in the bottom line!
As if a member of our government will have any real influence over a large US company which is only interested in the bottom line!
Posted by: Militant Ford Worker, Southampton on 12:16pm Mon 25 Aug 08
The whole issue with the Plant is the cost of retolling for the next model.
In the States Ford is lobbying the US govt to pay for retooling it's plants. In Turkey their business partners are subsidising the cost of retooling for the new transit. In Romania they have scored an EU approved subsidy.
Meanwhile at Southampton they are trying to get the Workforce to subsidise the retooling of their own plant by taking a cut in pay and benefits.
Ford wants anyone to pay for retooling their plants other than themselves.
This is what Capitalists mean by 'externalising costs'!
Of course a meeting with the Govt will give them a chance to rattle the begging bowl but this government has previously shown it is not inclined to use taxpayers money to prevent the export of UK car workers jobs as the money is needed to bail out their financial masters - the Banks.
The whole issue with the Plant is the cost of retolling for the next model.
In the States Ford is lobbying the US govt to pay for retooling it's plants. In Turkey their business partners are subsidising the cost of retooling for the new transit. In Romania they have scored an EU approved subsidy.
Meanwhile at Southampton they are trying to get the Workforce to subsidise the retooling of their own plant by taking a cut in pay and benefits.
Ford wants anyone to pay for retooling their plants other than themselves.
This is what Capitalists mean by 'externalising costs'!
Of course a meeting with the Govt will give them a chance to rattle the begging bowl but this government has previously shown it is not inclined to use taxpayers money to prevent the export of UK car workers jobs as the money is needed to bail out their financial masters - the Banks.
Posted by: goard, Soton Ford on 2:25pm Mon 25 Aug 08
It does not matter how complicated you do it, w2e must have it in mind you are dealing with workers lives - whether you have a conscience or not, these dedicated worker who are absolutely committed in keeping their families going - I mean food, warmth, rent and mortgage - they are adament they MUST keep their families solvent. How dare you, and I mean the investor, or the totally destructive entrepaneur - destroy whole sections of Society. I would like to say you will get your come-uppance, but nevertheless it will be dancing on your employees graves - can you live with that?
goard
It does not matter how complicated you do it, w2e must have it in mind you are dealing with workers lives - whether you have a conscience or not, these dedicated worker who are absolutely committed in keeping their families going - I mean food, warmth, rent and mortgage - they are adament they MUST keep their families solvent. How dare you, and I mean the investor, or the totally destructive entrepaneur - destroy whole sections of Society. I would like to say you will get your come-uppance, but nevertheless it will be dancing on your employees graves - can you live with that?
goard
Posted by: vanessa, eastleigh on 4:09pm Mon 25 Aug 08
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I'm pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I'm pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!!
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I'm pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I'm pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!!
Posted by: cmen on 4:23pm Mon 25 Aug 08
What is the average pay for a ford worker.?
and how many hours per week ?
other benefits?
What is the average pay for a ford worker.?
and how many hours per week ?
other benefits?
Posted by: southy, redbridge on 4:32pm Mon 25 Aug 08
fords dont need to worry about turkey transits,with turkey not being part of the EU and will be subject to the anti flooding laws whitch would push up the price,has for turkey joining the EU this is unlikey to happen to many EU countrys dont trust turkey and dont want them in the EU,they been turned down once to join EU,and if they did manage to wiggle there way into the EU there be countrys that would leave the EU
fords dont need to worry about turkey transits,with turkey not being part of the EU and will be subject to the anti flooding laws whitch would push up the price,has for turkey joining the EU this is unlikey to happen to many EU countrys dont trust turkey and dont want them in the EU,they been turned down once to join EU,and if they did manage to wiggle there way into the EU there be countrys that would leave the EU
Posted by: St. Ray, St. Elsewhere on 4:55pm Mon 25 Aug 08
[quote][bold]vanessa[/bold] wrote:
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I\'m pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I\'m pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!![/quote] Let's hear your tune when the Ford plant is closed down & sold off & the airport runway is either extended to take larger planes or a second runway is added to increase air traffic at Southampton airport. Yo will look back on the scumbag Ford workers with fond memories! Not thast I actually have too much symathy for them, they have screwed Fords for years, perhaps they will also reflect on the many years of poor productivity & failure to match the output levels achieved by some overseas plants
vanessa wrote:
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I\'m pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I\'m pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!!
Let's hear your tune when the Ford plant is closed down & sold off & the airport runway is either extended to take larger planes or a second runway is added to increase air traffic at Southampton airport. Yo will look back on the scumbag Ford workers with fond memories! Not thast I actually have too much symathy for them, they have screwed Fords for years, perhaps they will also reflect on the many years of poor productivity & failure to match the output levels achieved by some overseas plants
Posted by: bobsey, Southampton on 5:13pm Mon 25 Aug 08
Shows how much the LD MP thinks of the area,not a peep. His silence is dealening. He doesn't care a jot about the Ford plant, not many votes for him there.
Shows how much the LD MP thinks of the area,not a peep. His silence is dealening. He doesn't care a jot about the Ford plant, not many votes for him there.
Posted by: Peter, Southampton on 5:23pm Mon 25 Aug 08
Does he really think he's going to meet the bosses at Eastleigh?.. They are all in the USA.
Does he really think he's going to meet the bosses at Eastleigh?.. They are all in the USA.
Posted by: Condor Man, Southampton on 6:10pm Mon 25 Aug 08
Sadly it's cheaper to build vans in Turkey and ship them back over here. We can't compete on wages and our costs will be massive in comparison. It's easy to take the **** but there are 1000 blokes with mortgages and families to fend for. Apart from working nights for minimum wage like the Poles do what else is there work wise round here if they are made redundant?
Sadly it's cheaper to build vans in Turkey and ship them back over here. We can't compete on wages and our costs will be massive in comparison. It's easy to take the **** but there are 1000 blokes with mortgages and families to fend for. Apart from working nights for minimum wage like the Poles do what else is there work wise round here if they are made redundant?
Posted by: southy, redbridge on 6:34pm Mon 25 Aug 08
[quote][bold]Condor Man[/bold] wrote:
Sadly it\'s cheaper to build vans in Turkey and ship them back over here. We can\'t compete on wages and our costs will be massive in comparison. It\'s easy to take the **** but there are 1000 blokes with mortgages and families to fend for. Apart from working nights for minimum wage like the Poles do what else is there work wise round here if they are made redundant?[/quote] this is untrue condorman to ship the vans to the uk or any where else in the EU there is a very heavy duty tax to be paid on them,whitch would push the cost of the transit up by a 1/3 for what they cost now.
all imports to the EU are subject to the anti-flooding laws
Condor Man wrote:
Sadly it\'s cheaper to build vans in Turkey and ship them back over here. We can\'t compete on wages and our costs will be massive in comparison. It\'s easy to take the **** but there are 1000 blokes with mortgages and families to fend for. Apart from working nights for minimum wage like the Poles do what else is there work wise round here if they are made redundant?
this is untrue condorman to ship the vans to the uk or any where else in the EU there is a very heavy duty tax to be paid on them,whitch would push the cost of the transit up by a 1/3 for what they cost now.
all imports to the EU are subject to the anti-flooding laws
Posted by: OXO, Maybush on 6:35pm Mon 25 Aug 08
[quote][bold]vanessa[/bold] wrote:
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I\'m pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I\'m pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!![/quote] [quote]quote[/quote] I cant beleive the comment posted by Vanessa,her views are based on minor incidents,ive never spat,nor parked in her driveway.Wonder how she would feel if the site was to be sold off,to be demolished and have contractors probably doing more than just spitting on her driveway.Im sure the plant has been there longer than this single minded,ignorant person.I too have children,a morgage etc and rely on my job to pay my way.Vanessa,have you ever thought about getting off your backside and getting a job that pays enough to buy your own place away from the plant.To wish people to lose there jobs,there livelyhoods is really low,im sure its not the honest hard working,people who enjoy a social night out at the weekend,thats keeping you awake.Its probably your conscience!!
vanessa wrote:
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I\'m pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I\'m pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!!
quote
I cant beleive the comment posted by Vanessa,her views are based on minor incidents,ive never spat,nor parked in her driveway.Wonder how she would feel if the site was to be sold off,to be demolished and have contractors probably doing more than just spitting on her driveway.Im sure the plant has been there longer than this single minded,ignorant person.I too have children,a morgage etc and rely on my job to pay my way.Vanessa,have you ever thought about getting off your backside and getting a job that pays enough to buy your own place away from the plant.To wish people to lose there jobs,there livelyhoods is really low,im sure its not the honest hard working,people who enjoy a social night out at the weekend,thats keeping you awake.Its probably your conscience!!
Posted by: Diggler, Fords on 7:05pm Mon 25 Aug 08
[quote][bold]vanessa[/bold] wrote:
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I'm pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I'm pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!![/quote] "swathling a nice place" LOL...never will happen love!!! I'm thinking Ford's factory was there before you.....
vanessa wrote:
Get a grip on reality pal,sell the plant,invest the money in other factorys and everyones a winner. Have you ever had to put up with a ford worker spitting and parking on your driveway then giving you a load of gob because you politely ask them to move??? Or had the flippin Social Club crowds outside your house at midnight plus shouting,spitting and **** on your driveway and waking your young children up???????? You worry about the workers familys? I'm pretty sure they can all go work for bloody macdonalds!!At least then Swaythling neighbourhood will be a nicer place. I'm pretty sure theres alot of people who agree with me if you just ask around. So stop being all woe with me and get off your backsides and sign up to an agency and start looking for work Now.!!
"swathling a nice place" LOL...never will happen love!!! I'm thinking Ford's factory was there before you.....
Posted by: Grim Reaper, Scrapyard on 7:41pm Mon 25 Aug 08
You boys will be better off on the dole![bold]bold[/bold]
You boys will be better off on the dole!
Posted by: Spouse of Ford Employee, Eastleigh on 8:55pm Mon 25 Aug 08
So all Ford employees should be on the dole. All that will do is put more strain on the NHS. When all these workers become over weight, by being lazy at home doing nothing and becoming more of a burden on the tax payers of this country. At least these employees are contributing by paying their taxes and National Insurance more than some people I could mention.
So all Ford employees should be on the dole. All that will do is put more strain on the NHS. When all these workers become over weight, by being lazy at home doing nothing and becoming more of a burden on the tax payers of this country. At least these employees are contributing by paying their taxes and National Insurance more than some people I could mention.
Posted by: Karin, Eastleigh on 9:41pm Sun 5 Oct 08
[quote][bold]goard[/bold] wrote:
It does not matter how complicated you do it, w2e must have it in mind you are dealing with workers lives - whether you have a conscience or not, these dedicated worker who are absolutely committed in keeping their families going - I mean food, warmth, rent and mortgage - they are adament they MUST keep their families solvent. How dare you, and I mean the investor, or the totally destructive entrepaneur - destroy whole sections of Society. I would like to say you will get your come-uppance, but nevertheless it will be dancing on your employees graves - can you live with that? goard[/quote] Hi, I would like to offer a lifeline to the Ford workers so:
Please ignore this if: You......Love your job You.....Earn lots of money You.....Drive the car of your dreams You.....Take regular foreign holidays
You.....Have a great pension to look forward to You.....Are looking forward to a bright and rewarding future But if not, then please read on.......
Are you worried about your job security? Would you like the freedom of being your own boss? You can choose your own hours, working from home, fantastic support amd training and many rewards and incentives. Get your finances back under your control. Earn money straight away.
In today's society, a secure income-a job for life-may no longer be available from conventional employment. If you have suffered redundancy, and particularly if you are over 40, you may know how difficult this can be. Most people will admit to being dissatisfied with their level of income, especially in relation to the free time they enjoy.
The current trend of working from home, part-time working and job sharing is an indication of how many people wish to escape the "employment trap".
Please have a look at the website www.earn-extra4u.co.
uk You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
goard wrote:
It does not matter how complicated you do it, w2e must have it in mind you are dealing with workers lives - whether you have a conscience or not, these dedicated worker who are absolutely committed in keeping their families going - I mean food, warmth, rent and mortgage - they are adament they MUST keep their families solvent. How dare you, and I mean the investor, or the totally destructive entrepaneur - destroy whole sections of Society. I would like to say you will get your come-uppance, but nevertheless it will be dancing on your employees graves - can you live with that? goard
Hi, I would like to offer a lifeline to the Ford workers so:
Please ignore this if: You......Love your job You.....Earn lots of money You.....Drive the car of your dreams You.....Take regular foreign holidays
You.....Have a great pension to look forward to You.....Are looking forward to a bright and rewarding future But if not, then please read on.......
Are you worried about your job security? Would you like the freedom of being your own boss? You can choose your own hours, working from home, fantastic support amd training and many rewards and incentives. Get your finances back under your control. Earn money straight away.
In today's society, a secure income-a job for life-may no longer be available from conventional employment. If you have suffered redundancy, and particularly if you are over 40, you may know how difficult this can be. Most people will admit to being dissatisfied with their level of income, especially in relation to the free time they enjoy.
The current trend of working from home, part-time working and job sharing is an indication of how many people wish to escape the "employment trap".
Please have a look at the website www.earn-extra4u.co.
uk You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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