SWEDISH automobile manufacturer Volvo will lay off 130 workers from the company’s Brisbane commercial vehicle factory it announced yesterday.
According to the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), 40 contractors and 90 permanent staff will lose their jobs by December 16.
The car manufacturer said the move came amid the global economic downturn and a gradual fall in the number of people buying trucks.
AMWU assistant state secretary Warren Butler said the union was shocked at the decision following the financial assistance package announced by the federal government for the car manufacturing industry.
Butler also said Volvo made no mention of looming redundancies during recent enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations.
“This is a restructure in order to reduce the number of vehicles the company produces from over 2,000 last year to around 1,500 this year. “We implore both the state and federal governments to explore any avenues they can for providing financial assistance for these workers,” Butler said.
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