Demonstrations commence at Vauxhall facility facing shutdown

A two-day protest regarding the decision by Vauxhall’s owner to close its van manufacturing plant in Luton has begun. Stellantis recently disclosed its intention to shut the Kimpton Road site next year, planning to consolidate its electric van production with its other UK plant in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, a move that places approximately 1,100 jobs at risk. In an official statement, the company affirmed it is consulting with unions concerning the proposals and that there would be a “comprehensive support plan for impacted employees in Luton”. Paul Geary, the senior representative at the plant for the Unite union, stated that the necessary infrastructure for electric vehicles is currently non-existent, and he urged the government to intervene to save the plant. “It’s not unique to Luton,” he said. “Luton’s just the first card in the pack.” He further warned, “If the infrastructure’s not there we’ll see the likes of Toyata, Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover falling by the wayside.” Geary emphasized, “The government have to step up… We need to all work together, and closing plants ain’t the way.” Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North, appealed to Stellantis to reconsider its decision to close the factory during Prime Minister’s Questions on 11 December. Stellantis, which also holds ownership of Citroen, Peugeot, and Fiat, had previously indicated that regulations enacted to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in the UK were a partial driver of its decision. Labour’s manifesto established a target of 2030 to cease the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. Manufacturers are presently mandated to sell a specific percentage of electric vehicles in advance of that ban, with these quotas increasing annually. Current regulations stipulate that electric vehicles must account for 22% of a manufacturer’s car sales this year, and 10% of van sales. Carlos Tavares, who served as the chief executive of Stellantis, unexpectedly resigned on 2 December. The two-day demonstration is scheduled to occur on Tuesday and Wednesday between 08:00 and 16:00 GMT. Unite announced that a rally is planned for Tuesday at midday. General secretary Sharon Graham commented: “Shutting the profitable Luton factory when it has just been made ready to produce electric vehicles from 2025 makes no sense. “The opportunity is now there for Stellantis to prevent the needless destruction of its Luton operations” She added, “Unite is calling on the company to withdraw the deadline for redundancies that was imposed under Carlos Tavares’s regime and allow for proper negotiations between workers, management and government over the future of the plant.”