Further bad news for car industry as 850 jobs go at Mini plant

German vehicle maker, BMW, has announced today that 850 weekend jobs are to go at the Mini plant in Cowley, Oxford.

All 850 agency staff who worked the weekend shift have lost their jobs and were informed of the news just as they were ending their shift.

One worker expressed their anger and described the announcement as a ‘disgrace‘ and said “we should have been given one month’s notice, not one hour.”

Production is to be cut at the plant from seven to five days and in response to the fall in demand for new cars, BMW also said it is to close down production at the plant for one week.

A company statement said “Mini plant Oxford will be bringing in a new shift pattern in response to continuing volatile market conditions.”

“As of Monday 2 March, the plant will go from a three-shift to a two-shift pattern, operating five days per week instead of the current seven,” said the statement.

In 2008, BMW sales fell by 4.3% to 1.4 million units, however Mini sales experienced a rise of 4.3% last year, to 232,425 cars. The company said “while Mini has been weathering the economic downturn, it is not immune from the challenges of the current situation“.

Mini will celebrate its 50th anniversary in August of this year.

The plant at Cowley was one of the factories that produced the original 848cc model, which was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis.

The car industry worldwide has suffered as consumers cut back on big ticket items. Honda, Japan’s second-largest carmaker, has shut down its UK plant in Swindon for four months.

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