PSA Group has announced that it will reduce the number of operating days at its Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port in northwest England from March 23 to four days a week.
The plan, which was revealed in a letter to employees, was reported by the Liverpool Echo Newspaper.
Vauxhall states that although the report is correct, adding “extended hours” to the four-day work gives a total of five days of work.
Regarding the potential for job cuts and restructuring in the near future, Vauxhall said, “We will discuss the impact with employee representatives and unions.” Mark Noble, plant manager at Ellesmere Port, where the “Astra’s sales were sluggish.” The decision was due to lower demand for the Astra Sport Tourer, a wagon model under the Vauxhall and Opel brands.
Last year, Astra sold about 137,000 units, well below 2016.
The number of employees at Ellesmere Port has declined dramatically since PSA acquired two brands from General Motors.
It is feared that more work will be cut off due to shorter working hours.
“This decision will not affect the decision to produce a new Astra at Ellesmere Port,” Noble said.
However, many employees are concerned that the introduction of the next-generation model in 2021 will not be retained as the second production base for the model, after Russelsheim in Germany.
