The announcement follows the automaker’s intention to produce only electric vehicles by 2035.
Ford has announced that 1,300 jobs, or one-fifth of its UK workforce, will be eliminated as part of a Europe-wide restructuring.
Ford’s Dunton, Essex headquarters and technological centre will lose most UK jobs.
The site will lose 1,000 workers, with 300 administrative positions being spread across the remaining five sites.
The production personnel at Dagenham, Halewood, and Daventry will not be impacted. Ford has a transport operations centre in Southampton and a software development site in Stratford, east London.
The layoffs are part of a strategy to eliminate 3,800 jobs across Europe over the next three years.
After ending production of the UK’s best-selling car, the Fiesta, last year, the automaker is focused on electric vehicles.
Ford indicated that the restructure is due to the switch to totally electric vehicles and vehicle complexity reduction. It plans to establish a 100% electric fleet in Europe by 2035.
Ford is shedding jobs as it prepares “to fight and win in a highly competitive region facing major economic and geopolitical challenges,” according to Martin Sander, general manager of Ford model e in Europe.
There will be reductions in the following areas of the business: In Europe, 2,800 engineering positions will be eliminated by 2025, along with 1,000 administrative, marketing, sales, and distribution positions.
The corporation announced that it will collaborate with unions and worker organizations across the continent to cut staff through voluntary layoffs.
The UK Unite union said the firm must “open the books” to safeguard as many jobs as possible.
Approximately 3,400 engineering jobs focusing on vehicle design, development, and technology will continue.
Mr. Sander committed his commitment to workers and the development of the company’s future in Europe.
“These are challenging choices that are not made lightly. We recognize the uncertainty this causes for our staff. and I tell them that they will have our full support in the coming months “he stated.
“We will talk to our social partners to build a successful European business together.”
According to him, Ford is fundamentally reinventing itself in Europe. Smaller, more specialized, and more electric automobiles are being manufactured.
Ford will begin production of its first European-built electric vehicle later this year.
