Ford Australia Workers Unite: September 2007

Ford Christmas party axed

FORD has cancelled a 30-year tradition of holding a Christmas party, in what workers said was a ``kick in the guts'' for 600 Geelong workers set to be sacked by 2010.

The auto giant has decided to cancel its regular December festivities during what is a difficult year for the company, which announced plans to close its Norlane engine plant in July.

For the full story go to:
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/09/14/6851_news.html

More Jobs to Go?

Sources close to Ford indicated today, that up to 150 more people will be turned out of work at the Broadmeadows plant (Melbourne) early next year, as the car giant implodes even further.
Workers from the Manufacturing Trim area are set for outsourcing.
Rumours also abound that there will be large outsourcing actions undertaken at Geelong stamping plant next year.
What next? Where will this madness stop? Can anyone shed any light on what is going on at Broadmeadows?
I thought there was supposed to be 300 new jobs at Broadmeadows, now it looks like this has been halved!

Latest breaking news:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Ford-to-redeploy-120-Broadmeadows-staff/2007/09/11/1189276713556.html
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=43409&vf=26

Geelong's favorite son, Stuart McColl has his say!

THE Geelong Advertiser published some comments that I made regarding the loss of some 600 to 2000-3000 jobs and the inexcusable total disregard by our civic leaders to do something positive to keep the Ford engine plant in Geelong and retain all those jobs.
Late that afternoon I received a phone from an angry mayor of Geelong who claimed that my article was most offensive and completely wrong......

For the full story go to the links below -
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/08/29/6455_opinion.html
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/08/09/5978_opinion.html

What are these blokes go'na do?

These are some of the poor souls out of work in 2010. All highly skilled with no meaningful chance of finding work. The government had better come up with something QUICK. How many families will be uprooted, how many kids will be ripped away from their young friends and moved to some sweaty mining town. This plant closure is a social disaster and needs a proper social plan to allow this community to maintain its fabric. The amount of money the government has made available stinks and wont get the job done. We must force the powers to listen. Please make an effort to forward this blog site to as many people as possible. We need to build this campaign...Fair Trade not Free Trade...

$24 million Rotten Carrot

If $24 million is a carrot it's the one that fell down behind the crisper 10 years ago. That amount of money is a small part of what is needed. The dog and pony show in town yesterday short changed Geelong. What is this city going to look like in 3-5 years time? What new industries are going to be here. I want to know what you think, so make a comment and dont forget to vote on the money question. That reminds me, make sure you are enroled to vote in the upcoming Federal election and make sure your friends and family are enroled as well. The government must answer for the US free trade agreement.

Click on the link below to veiw the reference article:
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/09/05/6620_opinion.html

$24m first round funding call

Michaela Farrington

04Sep07 (Geelong Advertiser)

THE federal and state governments today called for applications for the first round of a $24 million fund to boost investment in Geelong.

Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and state Regional Development Minister Jacinta Allen were in Geelong this morning to launch the Geelong Investment and Innovation Fund to create new jobs in Geelong in the wake of the Ford engine plant closure..........

For the full story go to: http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2007/09/04/6587_news.html

Bye bye American Pie: Ford Sacks 600 Workers

Source: Geelong Visual Diary - July 07

Jeff Whalley, 19th July 07

Long-time Ford employee Susie Baykiz was among the hundreds of employees coming to grips with yesterday's announcement. FORD is gutting the city's iconic engine plant and sacking 600 workers.

Confirming the worst-held fears of many automotive workers, the announcement brought heartbreak and anxiety to those affected.

In Geelong for the announcement, Ford Australia president Tom Gorman said the shutdown was an essential part of making sure the company survived as car buyers turned away from fuel-hungry vehicles. "This is not an issue where one would say it is a failure of government policy. This is us responding to changes in the market place to secure the future of Ford in Australia,'' he said.

Mr Gorman yesterday said that the company would abandon the I6 engines made in Geelong in 2010 to be replaced with cheaper US V6 imports.

He said the new engines would be compatible with diesel fuel and would be used on the traditional Aussie-made Falcon, Falcon ute and Territory models.

"This is a difficult decision, on a very difficult day in the history of Ford,'' Mr Gorman said.

But walking out of the gates of Ford yesterday, worker Shaun Patching only expressed exasperation. "I'm pretty down, actually. I'm like all the other guys. I've got a wife and kids and a mortgage . . . they have left the whole of Geelong high and dry. This is going to have flow-on effects that are devastating to these people,'' Mr Patching said.

Political and city leaders scrambled to make comment and draw positives to a shell-shocked Geelong community.
Australian Manufacturing and Workers' Union federal secretary Ian Jones pulled no punches, equating its impact on Geelong to the Pyramid collapse in early 1990s.

"My understanding is that some 10,000 jobs within the region are dependent upon automotive manufacturing, with $250 million of salaries paid as a consequence,'' Mr Jones said.

Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood said he was seeking urgent meetings with Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and State Treasurer John Brumby. "I will be seeking appropriate state and federal government assistance that is going to meet the needs of our workforce in the future,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Macfarlane and Victorian Premier Steve Bracks announced a $24 million Geelong Investment and Innovation Fund to offer grants for projects which would create new jobs and investment in the region. "I'm confident (Ford's Geelong workers) will have new jobs through this,'' he told the Geelong Advertiser.

The Labor member for Corio Gavan O'Connor said he was also scheduling an urgent meeting with the Industry Minister. "Ford and Australian governments have a moral responsibility to this Geelong workforce which has already made significant contribution to Ford Australia's past profitability,'' Mr O'Connor said.

Notable Quotes

“It was a disturbing sight to see the men filing into to the meeting room, knowing what was going to happen, what the devastating news would be” (Amanda Zachariah, Geelong Advertiser Thursday 19th July 2007)

‘You work hard to build plans, to build a family life, to build a home and to keep loved ones together. And suddenly everything we were looking forward to has lost its gloss’
(B. Sexton, Ford Worker – Herald Sun, Thursday July 19th 2007)

"It's a consequence of marketing reality and these decisions are made by companies from time to time," Mr Howard told reporters in Adelaide. (J. Howard, Prime Minister - Fairfax digital, July 18th 2007)

‘It means lots because of families, mortgages and the future and the Geelong economy’
(K. Pircek, Ford Worker - Geelong Advertiser Thursday 19th July 2007)

‘They should have come out clean and showed some respect to the people who worked here for many years and they didn’t do that’
(M. Vuksic, Ford Worker - Geelong Advertiser Thursday 19th July 2007)

‘…. I recall it wasn't that long ago we had a protest out the front of these very gates against the free trade agreement with the United States, because we knew what was going to happen was that instead of bringing jobs to this country, the jobs were going to be exported offshore to the US, and that's clearly what's happened in this case.’
(D. Oliver, National Secretary AMWU – ABC PM Thursday 19th July 2007)

‘When Ford told us they were considering this, I fell off my seat’
(John Brumby, Victorian State Treasurer - Geelong Advertiser Friday 20th July 2007)

‘…….Ford Geelong became like the famously doomed German warship, the Bismark on Wednesday. “Chased down, shot and killed”…..’
(J. Vitulic, Ford Worker - Geelong Advertiser Friday 20th July 2007)

‘…ACTU economist Nixon Apple said it was standard practice to assume that every direct sacking in the automotive sector triggered between two and three indirect job losses’

"There are flow-on effects to all sorts of areas," Mr Apple said.

'The National Institute for Industry and Economic Research, used by the State Government to model the economic benefits of major events, argues that the impact of sackings can be even larger, particularly for skilled, technological industries'
(Fairfax Digital – July 23rd 2007)

Ford Christmas party axed

More Jobs to Go?

Geelong's favorite son, Stuart McColl has his say!

What are these blokes go'na do?

$24 million Rotten Carrot

$24m first round funding call

Saved!!!!

The Forewarning - 11th July 2007

D Day - 18th July 2007

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The Human Face of the Ford Geelong Engine Plant Closure

Bye bye American Pie: Ford Sacks 600 Workers

Notable Quotes