Ford scraps 1,300 jobs in the UK as part of a wider cull of workers in Europe, as company pivots to electric cars
14 February 2023, 11:00
Ford is cutting 1,300 jobs in the UK as part of a bigger set of redundancies across its European operations.
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The US automobile giant said that the job losses in the UK would largely hit its technical centre in Dunton in Essex, where 3,400 work at the moment.
A smaller centre in Stratford, east London, that has 200 workers will also be affected, the company added.
Factories in Halewood in Merseyside, Dagenham in Essex, Southampton in Hampshire, and Daventry in Northamptonshire will be unaffected.
Some 6,500 people work for Ford in the UK, meaning that roughly a fifth of the jobs will be cut.
The redundancies will be made over the next three years. Some 2,300 people will lose their jobs in Germany, with 200 more roles to go elsewhere in the continent.
The company said that the cuts will help it become smaller, more focused and increasingly focused on electric products.
Of the UK cuts, around 1,000 will affect people in the engineering division, with 300 impacting administrative roles.
Martin Sander, general manager of Ford Model e in Europe, said: "These are difficult decisions, not taken lightly.
"We recognise the uncertainty it creates for our team, and I assure them we will be offering them our full support in the months ahead.
"We will engage in consultations with our social partners so we can move forward together on building a thriving future for our business in Europe."
MD of Ford calls on government to boost car sector
Ford said that the European car market is highly competitive and there are growing fields of electric car rivals entering the market.
It gave assurances that the plans will "revitalise" the business as it is set to introduce its first European-built electric passenger vehicle in the spring.
Mr Sander said: "We are completely reinventing the Ford brand in Europe - unapologetically American, outstanding design and connected services that will differentiate Ford and delight our customers in Europe."
"We are ready to compete and win in Europe," he added.
Ford said it intends to achieve the job cuts through voluntary separation programmes, which means employees can reach an agreement with the business to leave their role.
Read more: End of the Ford Fiesta: Company 'set to axe' Britain's most popular car after 46 years
The Unite union's national officer for automotive, Des Quinn, said: "Ford's announcement is another stark reminder that the shift to electrification needs a just transition that requires long-term investment and planning from automakers and a proper industrial strategy from government.
"That includes making sure electric vehicle batteries are built in the UK, along with a UK-based supply chain in electronic power drive systems and ensuring the domestic development and manufacture of autonomous driving systems."
