Ford bosses face barrage by angry MPs (From Daily Echo)
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Ford bosses face barrage by angry MPs
8:43am Friday 9th November 2012 in News
By Tom Moseley, Parliamentary Correspondent
Dressing down: Ford of Britain chairman Joe Greenwell
FORD bosses were given a dressing down by Hampshire MPs yesterday over the way the closure of the Southampton plant was handled.
Joe Greenwell, the chairman of Ford of Britain, was left in “no doubt” of the scale of their anger.
Conservative Caroline Nokes, Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne and Labour’s John Denham and Alan Whitehead urged the company to do more to help contractors who have lost their jobs as well as to hand over the Swaythling site to the community.
Mr Greenwell revealed around 50 new jobs could be created by the company with a new vehicle handling and refurbishment facility, probably based at Southampton docks.
Speaking after the “clear the air” talks, Mr Huhne said: “All of the MPs felt Ford had not handled this well. We made it very clear that this was not the way Ford had handled previous announcements. He took it on board and understood it.”
The Parliamentarians also raised the levels of taxpayer-funded support given to Ford in recent years, including an £80m European loan for its Turkish plant and a £9m handout to create jobs in Essex, announced on the day it decided to close down Southampton.
There have been calls for the Swaythling plant to be converted into a business-friendly enterprise zone.
Ownership is complicated as Ford does not own all of the freehold, and it is managed by Ford Land, a separate entity, although Mr Greenwell assured the MPs he was “not without influence” in any final decision.
Ms Nokes said: “They are acutely aware that they have some work to do to restore their reputation in the city. I think there is a genuine commitment to make sure it happens.”
On the MPs’ requests for action, Mr Denham added: “Other than giving us a commitment to looking at them and working on them, they were not in a position to go into specifics.”
The meeting came the day after Ford bosses in Europe found themselves under siege as anger over factories’ closures spilled over.
Workers stormed the company’s European headquarters in a violent protest against the firm slashing thousands of jobs – including more than 500 in Southampton – after taking billions in Government grants and loans.
More than 150 demonstrators went on the rampage yesterday, right, in the northern city of Cologne, blocking the entrance to the offices, torching tyres and throwing fireworks at police officers.
Then a group of 20 to 40 stormed the building and threw stones through windows.
Inside, a tense meeting was under way between Ford management and worker representatives including the UK union Unite, which represents workers at Swaythling.
Coaches arrived from the factory in Genk in Belgium, which, like Southampton, has had repeated assurances over its future.
Ford has announced plans to shut the assembly plant, which makes Mondeo and Galaxy cars, jeopardising some 5,000 jobs.
Comments(18)
Torchie1
says...
8:54am Fri 9 Nov 12
hulla baloo
says...
9:22am Fri 9 Nov 12
Torchie1 wrote:Instead of having a go at a lost cause, it would be more beneficial of their time and resources to be seen trying to bring in new companies and investment to the area.
No-one gets to the senior management level without sailing through some choppy water and MPs have to be seen to be doing something.
Linesman
says...
9:36am Fri 9 Nov 12
The MPs, especially those in the coalition, need to look to their own competence regarding the grant, before they attack Ford.
It is OUR, money, TAXPAYERS' money that they have been giving away without any checking.
madmandy
says...
11:05am Fri 9 Nov 12
Lone Ranger.
says...
11:09am Fri 9 Nov 12
hulla baloo wrote:Depends on what you consider to be a lost cause.
Torchie1 wrote:Instead of having a go at a lost cause, it would be more beneficial of their time and resources to be seen trying to bring in new companies and investment to the area.
No-one gets to the senior management level without sailing through some choppy water and MPs have to be seen to be doing something.
.
If the company do more to help contractors who have lost their jobs, and convince Ford hand over the Swaythling site to the community or part of it ......
.
........ is that a lost cause
.
According to the report Mr Greenwell assured the MPs he was “not without influence” in any final decision.
.
........ Is that a lost cause
loosehead
says...
11:40am Fri 9 Nov 12
Ownership is complicated as Ford does not own all of the freehold?
madmike
says...
11:41am Fri 9 Nov 12
ohec
says...
11:54am Fri 9 Nov 12
Shoong
says...
12:01pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Linesman wrote:No government is under any obligation to inform you of they way it dishes out money, rightly or wrongly.
I bet that John Greenwell cried, all the way to the bank, where he checked out the size of the government's grant.
The MPs, especially those in the coalition, need to look to their own competence regarding the grant, before they attack Ford.
It is OUR, money, TAXPAYERS' money that they have been giving away without any checking.
You were never going to get a copy of the receipt.
I can see an error in your post - it should read 'MY money', because that's what you really mean.
Skipper38
says...
12:40pm Fri 9 Nov 12
They should stop grandstanding and get on with reducing government expenditure and taxation.
Skipper38
says...
12:40pm Fri 9 Nov 12
They should stop grandstanding and get on with reducing government expenditure and taxation.
freefinker
says...
1:02pm Fri 9 Nov 12
loosehead wrote:.. almost all of southy's "information" is made up.
I did say Ford didn't own all the land so exactly where does Southy get his information?
Ownership is complicated as Ford does not own all of the freehold?
I thought we all knew that.
sharkie50
says...
1:25pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Gainer T Gopher
says...
1:39pm Fri 9 Nov 12
rich the stitch
says...
2:08pm Fri 9 Nov 12
loosehead wrote:He is full of so much cr@p I'm sure he just bends over and pulls the 'information' from there
I did say Ford didn't own all the land so exactly where does Southy get his information? Ownership is complicated as Ford does not own all of the freehold?
loosehead
says...
3:32pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Linesman wrote:Is that the same Government that gave a grant to Liverpool for a certain reason but didn't have it in the conditions that if use of said terminal was to change all monies should be paid back in full?
I bet that John Greenwell cried, all the way to the bank, where he checked out the size of the government's grant.
The MPs, especially those in the coalition, need to look to their own competence regarding the grant, before they attack Ford.
It is OUR, money, TAXPAYERS' money that they have been giving away without any checking.
That grant to Dagenham will ensure two plants survival what! you want them to shut as well?
The Turkish plant should never have been given anything & gives me more reason to want to get the hell out of the EU
Bowmore
says...
11:24am Sat 10 Nov 12
Bridgend - Petrol engines;
Dagenham - Diesel engines;
Halewood - Transmissions;
Dunton - Research and development;
each of which employs thousands more than Southampton and moving all production to friendlier countries.
hulla baloo says...
8:46am Fri 9 Nov 12