JLR and the Trade Unions have reached an agreement that’s making everyone happy, with pay raises, job security, and the promise of even more good things to come.
JLR and the Trade Unions have reached an agreement that’s making everyone happy, with pay raises, job security, and the promise of even more good things to come.
Things have certainly been looking up for JLR these days. Sales rose 16% in September and by 40% since April. They have decided not to close one of their three plants in the UK, which was making everyone very nervous during the auto slump when JLR first announced that either the Land Rover plant at Solihull or the Jaguar factory at Castle Bromwich would close. And now JLR workers are in line for performance-related payments of over £1,500 as part of an industry-leading pay deal, it has been revealed.
In the words of Terry Fitzgerald, a 28-year JLR plant worker: “everyone is over the moon about this news.”
Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth said: "This is a triumph for all concerned. We have ambitious plans for growth and the success of our products around the world and this agreement will allow us to accelerate and realize those plans. The agreement is a great deal for our workers and the company and we can now really get on with working together to achieve an even more exciting future for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands.”
Such as the introduction of the new Range Rover Evoque, which will require 1,500 new employees at the Halewood factory in Liverpool. And that’s just a start. Overall, the company is planning on “thousands” of new hires over the next ten years and a £5 billion investment.
Speth continues: "Our parent company Tata supported us through the recession and our employees also made sacrifices but now we are seeing a great turnaround in the business and everyone involved - our employees, our customers and our Tata shareholders - will benefit from this agreement. This is truly the beginning of a new era for Jaguar Land Rover."
On the Labor Union side, Jack Dromey said it was "good news in bleak times", adding: "Castle Bromwich built the Spitfire during the war and two generations of the Jaguar. This remarkable agreement will see £5 billion of investment, securing the future of the three great plants in Britain. It is a triumph for the workforce…and the company.”
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