Mumbo jumbo bunkum at Ford

Roger Franklin October 17, 2008 - Herald Sun

FOR a while yesterday in Broadmeadows, as the news cameras rolled and Ford CEO Marin Burela hit his stride at the lectern, a dark future didn't sound too bleak at all.

Suddenly, Burela wasn't the bearer of grim tidings, the new FG sedan was a roaring success, and the company's 4000-or-so surviving workers were valued partners in a dynamic, devoted and 'extremely committed" team.

As for the 450 names that will appear on the latest round of workforce cuts, those soon to be ex employees would not simply be thrown out onto Sydney Rd.

Sacked, laid off, made redundant -- they are such brutal words. Instead, Mr Burela talked about a "separation program".

Leaping over a stack of dictionaries and weaving through a thicket of management-speak, he vaulted to the floor of a metaphoric tyre showroom, where "right-sizing" Ford's plants demanded "rebalancing and realignment".

There was quite a bit of "down shifting" as well, and "preference shifting," too. And don't forget "through-put", which rolled as smoothly from Mr Burela's lips as cars once came from his production line. But of those unmentionable job cuts, not a single word.

The optimistic glow faded even more when Steve Dargavel, state secretary of the AMWU, shared some pointed truths about his members' prospects.

"There are seven to nine jobs lost in the supply chain for every job cut here, at Ford -- you figure it out," he said.

It was short and blunt and to the point. And unlike Mr Burela's performance, it was chillingly comprehensible.