The workers - 127 at Ford's Broadmeadows plant and another 72 in Geelong - were told on Friday that they were working their final shift.
"The company announced the drop in production in March so the workers are, unfortunately, familiar with the process and have been waiting for today to occur," Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national vehicles division secretary Dave Smith told AAP.
"For many of them it is a very sad day, a very sad day indeed."
A long lunch was held at each plant to give affected workers a chance to say their farewells.
The union had anticipated 230 compulsory redundancies but the number was reduced by about 50 workers opting for voluntary redundancy.
Other workers have also been redeployed to non-manufacturing parts of Ford's operations, Mr Smith said.
Ford has announced it will cease car manufacturing in Australia from October 2016.
"Our commitment is to help our employees transition to new opportunities and we continue to look for opportunities to do that," Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood told AAP on Friday.
"That is our priority."
After this round of job cuts, about 450 workers remain at Broadmeadows and another 350 at Geelong.
Ford has contributed $10 million to a federal government industry fund, and has also brought in prospective employers at each site to help workers find new jobs.
Share
