From the latest news it seems that the largest union in the UK, namely Unite, has issued a particular Ultimatum to Stellantis. The demand made is quite clear, in fact, they are asking for more guarantees and that they are also concrete, about what will be the future of the plants in the area. We are talking in this case about facilities such as those in Ellesmere Port and Luton, two strategic production sites for the British market. So let us try to understand what is really happening to these British plants.
Hundreds of workers may soon find themselves in trouble
The unions’ main concern corresponds to an internal and strategic review at Stellantis, which is still in the works. It could be brought to an end with decisions that would be nothing short of dramatic for the area, such as the closure of one of the plants or even, in the worst case scenario, all of them. As a result, this situation has caused alarm over what would be the future situation of hundreds of workers who are currently employed at these sites, who would find themselves at any moment in a difficult precarious situation.
British plants have been caught in the crosshairs for a variety of reasons. One of them is definitely the electrification aspect, since as we know and have already discussed on other occasions, Stellantis is under pressure due to government obligations to switch to electric vehicles. Only that at the moment, the demand for these vehicles turns out to be still too low, which may have caused the company to lose interest and avoid investing in this aspect. Another factor is the country’s first electric car factory, namely Ellesmere Port. Demand for these vehicles is still too low, so it could make the facility economically unsustainable for the company. Lastly, we also find Luton, which is involved in producing medium-sized vans for various brands. Again, demand is low, so the future is uncertain given the mandatory switch to electric as soon as possible.
Unite accuses Stellantis of being too aggressive
The Unite union accuses the Stellantis automotive group of implementing overly aggressive management strategies, automatically creating panic among workers. The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, pointed out that British workers have done everything possible to ensure the plants’ survival for as long as possible. Therefore, Carlos Tavares is being asked to take responsibility.
As we know, the situation in Great Britain is certainly not the only and most serious one. Stellantis is in fact grappling with unions globally, such as in Italy where employees have already executed a nationwide strike. Similar discourse also applies to the U.S., where the UAW has already polled for industrial action. Now, the closure of one of the plants in Great Britain could certainly put a considerable number of people in trouble, causing damage to the entire production chain as well. There is also a risk of generating further conflicts, as well as damaging the image of the Stellantis company. For the time being, the British situation remains quite critical; we will be watching for new news to find out whether the issue will be resolved in the best-case scenario or whether Stellantis will decide to go its own way.