Ford closing stuns workers

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 4

Ford closing stuns workers

PA Wellington The decision by Ford New Zealand to close its vehicle assembly plant at Seaview, Lower Hutt, has been greeted with shock, disappointment and resignation by workers, members of Parliament and local body groups. Mr Wai Clementson, a supervisor who has worked at the Seaview plant for 15 years, said: "I think we were all fairly stunned. We’d been expecting — or hoping for — one of the other options that have been mooted, such as upgrad-

ing the plant, or turning it into a commercial operation. "But with all the speculation that’s been going on, we weren’t really too surprised, and some people are quite resigned to it.”

The one favourable thing about the decision, Mr Clementson said, was that the company had given 222y 2 years notice of its intention to close the plant, and was making an effort to help employees find other jobs. “At least they didn’t say they were going to close in six months time. But

it’s still a shock to the system,” he said. Other workers said they were trying to sort out their reactions and were not prepared to comment. The member of Parliament for Central, Ms Fran Wilde, described the planned closing as a disaster for the Hutt Valley and Wellington region.

Ms Wilde said more than 700 jobs would be lost. The closing would affect the associated componentry manufacturing industry in the Hutt Valley. Industries supplying

components to the factory said it was still too early to assess the likely effects of the closing. Mr George Peters, the director of Acma Industries, which supplies car upholstery products to Ford, said his company would be at a considerable disadvantage. The Upper Hutt factory employs 60 people. “Like any component firm supplying to Ford, we will now have to supply to Auckland. We will be placed at a disadvantage to any Auckland firm making the same product, because we’ll have a

higher freight content in our prices,” he said. The Mayor of Lower Hutt, Sir John KennedyGood, described the planned closing as "disappointing but not altogether unexpected.” Sir John said Lower Hutt still had a "fine facility” and the search had to begin for an alternative industry. Because of the size of the plant it was likely to be divided into multiple factories, he said. It had to be recognised that there was a grave shortage of industrial land in Lower Hutt and the closing of Ford had to be looked at positively. The Government needed to address the industrial shift to Auckland, he said. Sir John said he and others had been pressing the Government to make available some of the special depreciation rates and other privileges that were available in Christchurch and other centres. The Mayor of Petone, Mr Ron Marston, said the closing was a little depressing. It would affect not only Ford workers, but electricians and other ancillary services in the area.