# BMW lays off 850 at Oxford Plant



## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

BMW is halting production at the MINI plant in Oxford until Feb 23rd.

Starting March 2nd there will be 2 shifts building cars 5 days a week. All workers on the weekend shift lost their jobs with one hours notice.

An additional 150 jobs are going away at the Swindon plant. Those workers are being offered positions at Plant Oxford.



Not as bad as the news from Honda's UK plant. The Honda plant in England shut down for 4 months.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/...__We_couldn_t_have_done_any_more__says_union/

http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/4129868.BMW__Brown_____We_ll_do_all_we_can_for_workers_/

Another 150 workers on the M-F shifts are getting one weeks notice. This is to make room for the workers coming from the Swindon plant.

Workers are not happy about the way BMW and Union have acted.



> "The union has been speaking to them(BMW) for three weeks and we all get told an hour before we leave."
> 
> "I've been here nearly five years and they can get rid of me like this, just an hour before the end of my shift."
> 
> ...


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## mullman (Jan 5, 2006)

Ugh...


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## E36graduate (Nov 22, 2005)

Sorry to hear the news mate....even over hear in USA we are struggling. It is a real shame what is happening, especially for us here in the States..however FREE TRADE helps the poorest Rich become richer in the poor countries and the richest rich in the rich countries become richer = the poor countries have more jobs and the rich countries have less = middle class evens out = poor countries like their leaders, rich country doesn't like leaders - but rich country has control of census and voting = power to stay rich.....don't get into the scare tactics of how the rich country remains powerful......this sucks www.campaignforliberty.com


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

If this had happened before we bought our MINI, I think we'd be driving something else.

I understand the need to reduce production and hours worked at Plant Oxford, but BMW could have handled it better. 


Workers at the closed Honda Swindown plant are getting full pay for 2 months and then 60% pay for 2 months. After that they all can go back to work building the Jazz.


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

I was going to post this story but you beat me to it! Not a very complimentary assessment of BMW's treatment of British workers.....but times are tough I guess. 35% decrease in year-over-year sales for Jan....that's just pathetic. I bet half the decrease is the economy and the othe half is the return of cheap gasoline. :dunno:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...kers-at-UK-Mini-plant/articleshow/4136577.cms


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

MarcusSDCA said:


> I bet half the decrease is the economy and the othe half is the return of cheap gasoline. :dunno:


Perhaps. There is some data supporting your guess.

US MINI yearly numbers were good for 2008 through to November. December was flat. Sales fell 15% year for year January 2009.

January BMW SAV sales were up 3.3%. And that's with the X3 all but out of the picture.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/02/03/404499.html

Contrast that with November 2008:


> MINI USA reported November sales of 4,545 automobiles, up 43.1 percent from the 3,177 cars sold in November 2007. Year-to-date, the division reported sales of 50,511 automobiles, an increase of 31.3 percent, compared to the 38,483 cars reported in the first eleven months of 2007.


http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/12/02/276229.html

I don't have hard numbers for the smaller UK market. Sales have been slow here for some time. Mini UK is sitting on over 1,000 unsold cars built in 2008. On another board, someone just bought a new Mini with an April 2008 production date. There are many choices here in the >30MPG market. The MINI is one of the most expensive.

But look at the dreadful BMW car numbers. I can't help but wonder if BMW AG are cutting at MINI to make up for losses for cars built in Germany. They are still running the plant 2 shifts, 5 days a week. With that much work still to be done, BMW should have done more for the 850 laid off yesterday and the 650 going over the next 2 weeks.


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## obi.wan (Feb 14, 2007)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7891913.stm

never mind


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