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Uncertain future for workers as Ford farewells Australian manufacturing

Ford Australia will stop making cars in Australia, with the final Falcon due to come off the production line on Friday morning.

 File photo of Ford's manufacturing plant in Geelong. (AAP)

File photo of Ford's manufacturing plant in Geelong. (AAP) Source: AAP

The union representing Ford workers says many employees will struggle to find new jobs after the company's Australian manufacturing plants close on Friday.

The day marks the end of locally made Fords, with the last car expected to come off the Broadmeadows production line about 10am.

"These job losses couldn't come at a worse time for these workers, many of whom will struggle to find work," AMWU national vehicle division secretary Dave Smith said in a statement.

"There are simply not enough new jobs to absorb job losses at this scale."

The union says 2008 research following the closure of Mitsubishi's Adelaide plant suggested just one-third of employees found permanent work within six months.

The remainder found themselves unemployed, under-employed or forced into retirement.

Photos of the last-ever Falcon sedan to be built in Broadmeadows have surfaced online as workers near the end of their final shifts.

Posted on a Ford fan Facebook page the photographs show the bare shell of a blue Falcon on its journey down the production line, with a cardboard sign marking it as "The Last Falcon Sedan".

About 600 workers will lose their jobs, many whom have spent their entire working lives at the Broadmeadows and Geelong sites.

Victorian Industry Minister Wade Noonan says the government is providing $46.5 million of assistance for the state's auto workers and businesses and communities hardest hit by the closures.

"It is absolutely paramount that all levels of government work together to help workers and businesses during this difficult transition," Mr Noonan said in a statement.

"The experience of Ford employees will provide a valuable benchmark for all other workers such as those at Holden, Toyota and supply chain companies as they make a similar transition."

Holden and Toyota will cease manufacturing in Australia in 2017.

Ford will continue to employ 1500 people in Victoria at its product development centre and parts warehouse at Broadmeadows and a research and development centre in Geelong.

 

 

 


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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