UK government in talks regarding Vauxhall jobs
The UK government is set for crisis talks with Vauxhall bosses this week as the dust settles on the proposed Magna acquisition of GM Europe and possible job losses in the UK. It is rumoured that up to 1500 jobs may be at risk in the UK, if as promised, Magna introduces a number of cost savings programs across the board. However, the UK government is hoping to persuade Vauxhall to make the Ellesmere Port plant the centre of its European electric car revolution.
Gordon Brown and Lord Mandelson will be the most prominent figures at the meeting this week and with GM Europe hoping to build 220,000 plug-in hybrids in the UK each year until 2015, there is much at stake. There is no doubt that Vauxhall bosses will demand further tax breaks and investment, with particular emphasis upon electric car charging points up and down the country. While this is an area in which the UK government has been fairly proactive over the last few months, there are concerns that the government may not be able or willing to offer the kind of financial assistance which Vauxhall will be demanding.
However, the UK government cannot afford to let Vauxhall slip through the net as it has already been criticised in many quarters because of its lack of involvement in the initial GM Europe sale.
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