Ford sacks more than 212 workers in Vic
By Sarah Malik and Melissa Iaria
Daily Telegraph
November 16, 2012 5:44PM
MORE than 212 Ford workers at the company's Victorian plants have been sacked after a slump in car sales and cuts to production.
The Geelong and Broadmeadows plants were shut for the day on Friday as 212 devastated workers were told during one-on-one meetings they would be going home without a job.
One sacked assembly plant worker who had worked at Ford for more than a decade said it was unfair to be let go with no reason given.
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"Yeah (it's a) shock. I'm young and fit," the worker, who didn't want to be named, told AAP.
"Life's gone, you know.
"I feel bad, but what can you do, you know?"
Other workers who kept their jobs, such as shop floor worker Ronald Landverde, said watching colleagues lose theirs was stressful.
"People we thought were safe, they won't be there on Monday," he said.
"The morale is down.
"It's hard to get another job."
Ford announced in July it would slash 440 jobs at the two plants by November. Redeployment, in-house transfers and 118 voluntary redundancies still left 212 jobs to be cut.
Ford Australia president and chief executive Bob Graziano said it was a difficult day for all Ford employees.
"Although we have taken every possible step to find redeployment opportunities within other areas of our business and offered redundancies on a voluntary basis first, it has proven necessary to implement compulsory redundancies as well," he said in a statement.
Mr Graziano said the action was necessary to ensure the business was structured in line with demand and to remain as efficient as possible for the future of the remaining 2,900 employees.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union spokesman Dave Smith says he is satisfied with how Ford handled the difficult process.
He said all levels of government should do more to support automotive jobs.
Ford received a $103 million assistance package from the state and federal governments and its US parent company in January this year.
At the time, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the money would create 300 jobs.
But federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the government assistance has been ineffective and has failed to protect jobs.
"Sadly we seem to have yet another situation where the prime minister has been spending money but not getting the kind of result that the Australian people are entitled to expect," he said on Friday.
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said the government would do all it could to support the sacked workers.
Asked if the package was a good investment, Mr Swan replied, "We will never give up supporting Australian workers and ensure we've got competitive Australian industry."
Mr Swan attacked opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey's comments that "protection is not the answer" for a thriving Australian auto industry and Australian car makers are not making vehicles consumers want.
Mr Swan said the comments were "derogatory" and Mr Hockey should "have a bit of heart".
"The fact is we do produce a good product in this country and it employs tens of thousands of Australian workers," he said.
"I respect the hard work that they've put in and I believe that other people in the political system ought to do the same and not be out there talking down the industry."
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said the government had a transition program to help sacked Ford workers.
