Vauxhall workers to protest Luton plant closure plans

Vauxhall workers in Luton will hold a two-day protest and a rally over Stellantis’ plans to shut its profitable electric van factory, Unite, the automotive workers’ union, has said.

The protests will take place on Kimpton Road between the hours of 8am and 4pm tomorrow and Wednesday (December 17 and 18).

Unite is calling for Stellantis to halt its plans to shut the Luton factory following the shock departure of their CEO Carlos Tavares just days after the proposal to close the site was announced.

Mr Tavares left Stellantis, Vauxhall’s parent company, at the beginning of December after announcing that the Luton van-making plant was to close down, ceasing more than a century of automotive manufacturing in the town, putting 1,100 jobs at risk.

Vauxhall’s operations will be moved to Ellesmere Port in Merseyside with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, describing the decision as a “dark day” for the town.

The news came as Luton prepared to begin production of the new electric Vivaro van from 2025. 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Shutting the profitable Luton factory when it has just been made ready to produce electric vehicles from 2025 makes no sense. Time has now rightly been called on Carlos Tavares, whose counterproductive strategy of cutting Stellantis to the bone to artificially inflate profits has clearly failed.

“The opportunity is now there for Stellantis to prevent the needless destruction of its Luton operations. Unite is calling on the company to withdraw the deadline for redundancies that was imposed under Carlos Tavares’ regime and allow for proper negotiations between workers, management and government over the future of the plant.”

A statement from Luton campaign group Save Our Town, said: “We support the protest on Tuesday and Wednesday this week by staff at the Vauxhall Luton Van Plant againt the planned closure of the last remaining Vauxhall operation in our town.

“We call upon Stellantis to act with integrity and honour the promise to build all their medium electric vans at this site. Just as importantly, we call on the government to urgently review and modify their penalties imposed on manufacturers building motor vehicles that recognises the global crisis affecting all in the industry.”