Summit will show Government how much support the auto industry has
Jan 23 2009 Post Comment
The Birmingham Post’s summit on February 3 to create a manifesto to protect Jaguar Land Rover will be an acknowledgement of a groundswell of support at all levels for the Midland marque.
From political big-hitters to the man on the street, public opinion has been galvanised by the belief that something needs to be done to protect and promote such a vital cog in the nation’s manufacturing base, and indeed its whole economy.
While the campaign launched by the Birmingham Post and its sister papers has been making ground, the political landscape seems to have changed to make the possibility of a support package more likely.
In the three weeks since we launched our campaign French, German and Swedish governments have announced support for their own carmakers.
And the government has shown willingness to step in where necessary to protect business, with multi-billion packages put in place to support SMEs.
So signs are positive that a deal can be done that will not only protect the future of tens of thousands of jobs but the wider economy as a whole.
But it’s not time to be complacent – far from it.
Every day seems to bring news of another casualty in the auto supply chain. This week saw more suppliers in trouble, including Continental Automotive, which is cutting about 120 jobs from a plant in Witton and moving production, appropriately enough, to the continent.
The big decisions by Nissan (which cut 1,200 jobs in Sunderland) and Honda (which is suspending production in Swindon for four full months) were huge blows to the supply chain and will be the cause of many tears shed in manufacturing across the country.
So far, JLR has managed to avoid having to make this kind of grand gesture.
Shaving a day a week off working hours, or cutting down production for short breaks at a time, may not be popular with staff but is the right thing to do in the long term if it helps keep the company afloat and in reasonable shape.
But it can’t go on forever. JLR, the West Midlands and the country as a whole needs a decision from the Government, and the sooner the better.
As the Birmingham Post’s campaign for support for JLR continues to gain pace, it’s no time to relax – the clock is still ticking.
