Author:
ROBIN ROBERTS
General Motors says Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant has been saved, securing the jobs of 2,100 staff.
The US car giant will announce about 10am today that the next generation of its Astra model will be built at the plant from around 2015.
The decision will also mean hundreds more jobs will be created at the plant as it moves from two shifts to three and additional jobs will be created as Vauxhall moves to strengthen its UK supply chain.
Many had feared that with GM’s European unit sustaining heavy losses, Ellesmere Port would close, but the plans are conditional on workers agreeing to a new labour deal, put to staff over the last few days.
A final group of workers are expected to give their verdict on the deal by this morning, which will pave the way for the formal announcement, said the BBC last night.
The decision amounts to a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of the plant.
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