Car manufacturing giant says changes
Jaguar Land Rover in Halewood
Workers at Merseyside’s Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant fear losing out on £400 per month as the car manufacturing giant is set to bring in major changes to production shifts. From April, JLR staff at the Halewood factory will move from working on two shifts per day to just one shift.
While base salaries will not change under the new arrangements, workers will lose the shift premiums they are paid when working on later, unsociable shifts. The business says it is making the changes to enable the ongoing transformation of the site following the announcement of a £500m investment to prepare it for the production of electric vehicles.
But workers say they will lose out and are concerned about their futures. One Halewood worker told the ECHO: “Times are hard at the moment and to lose out on £400 per month will be hard for people.”
The announcement of changes was made in a notice issued to Halewood staff by plant director Trevor Leeks. The notice, seen by the ECHO, states: “In the 60-plus years history of Halewood, EMA (Electric Modular Architecture) is the most significant launch to take place in the plant. It’s critical therefore that we get it right.”
Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant
He added: “Therefore, from April 2025 and the start of the new financial year, we will be taking a major step towards preparing for launch and will be adopting an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. Colleagues across technology areas will be assigned to launch activities – providing growth opportunities and giving them a chance to directly contribute to our electrified future – and we will be moving to a one shift, day shift working pattern. We will be continuing to work closely with your senior Trade Union representatives to confirm the details and you will hear more as soon as possible.”
JLR has pointed out that workers’ base salary will not be affected by the shift changes, but accepted that an 18% shift premium paid to staff working on shift rotations or unsociable hours will not be paid on the new one shift per day schedule.
A spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover said: “As part of normal business practice, we regularly review our production schedules and adapt shift patterns. We are investing £500m to transform Halewood and these changes will enable the ongoing transformation of the site for electrification whilst continuing production of ICE vehicles.”