Auto giant Ford’s blueprint for an electric future for its vehicles
has been welcomed by Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union,
today.
Unite has also called on Ford to direct more investment to the UK,
given Ford cars’ continuing popularity with British customers.
Ford Europe announced today that its passenger vehicles were moving
to all-electric by 2030 and it was investing $1 billion in a new
electric vehicle manufacturing centre in Cologne.
Unite national officer for the automotive industries Des Quinn
said: “We welcome today’s announcement as the right move for the
company and, more generally, the environmental agenda.
“Given the continuing popularity of its cars with the British
public, we believe that now is the time for Ford’s senior
executives to look to place new investment in the UK.”
Ford operates two major manufacturing sites in the UK, diesel
engine production at Dagenham and transmissions production at
Halewood. It also operates a large research and development
facility in Dunton, Essex.
Des Quinn added: “The dedicated UK workforce has suffered
closures and job losses in recent years to help reshape the
company and they now need to be rewarded for that loyalty,
especially given the enormous value of the UK market to Ford’s
operations.
“Ford remains a major global player in a profitable market. It
has been a market leader for decades, both in terms of passenger
and commercial vehicles.
“We expect them to announce future propulsion systems to power
the vehicles of tomorrow to be sourced in to the UK.”
