Wale Online has reported that any hope of saving Hoover production workers’ jobs are fading fast. Meetings with management have so far failed to give any glimmer of hope, says John Jones, Unite union convenor at the Merthyr Tydfil plant.
Working five days but getting paid for four is one idea the union has thrown into the consultation arena as a possible lifeline to keep manufacturing at Merthyr and save as many of the 337 jobs under threat as possible.
Hoover Candy announced last month it was unable to produce competitively priced washing machines and tumble dryers at the site and had to consider all its options, including the possibility that production would cease.
A 90-day consultation was started with the workforce, which ends on February 20.
Other work at the site, including legal services, IT and warehouse distribution, is unaffected for the moment.
Mr Jones says that, “At the moment they are sourcing their parts in Europe ““ Spain, Italy. If they were sourcing them in this country would they be cheaper, thereby cutting costs of manufacturing the machines?
“I’ve asked the company if they have any suggestions. At the moment they are telling us how much it costs to produce the machines.
“We just can’t compete with China and Turkey. We’d have to work for nothing, basically.”
He added: “It’s looking pretty grim. We have another meeting next week and I think they might come to a head because we have run out of ideas.”
He admitted the idea of getting paid for four days for working five was not popular among shopfloor workers, who had shown total commitment to the company.
“They are still saying decisions haven’t been made but I think they have,” he said. “We have looked at everything we can to help.
“Next week I expect to be telling the company “˜as far as we are concerned we have exhausted all avenues of what we can offer ““ what are you going to do?’
“Personally I would rather a decision came from the company before Christmas because there have been four meetings and they just don’t seem to be very productive at the moment.
“There’s just me and my wife, we have two grown-up boys. But we are all cutting back this Christmas.”
“I can’t imagine what those with small children and mortgages are going through.”
One anonymous worker, said: “We are under no illusions; we know it’s closing.
“They are just going through the motions as far as meetings are concerned. They’re not interested.
“The “˜work five days and get paid four’ idea would be totally unacceptable for me.
“They’ve been measuring up machines.
“There’s talk of them taking them out straight after Christmas.
“What we think may happen is that we will have our 90 days’ notice, work for a week and then they will pay us off.
“People will get paid to the middle of May. It gives people some time to look around.
“They can’t claim any dole until after that.”
