BBC news has reported 850 job loses from BMWs Mini plant in Oxford. The site has laid off all its casual and temporary workers and stopped all weekend working.
Unions and other people have described this move as disgraceful. In the mean time BMW have identified 150 surplus staff in Swindon and are transferring them to Oxford.
This seems like good practice to me when things get tight financially surplus labour requirements have to cease. Temporary workers are exactly that, temporary. However it will have a profound impact on the economy in Oxford.
Work at the Cowley plant will not restart until 23 February. The change in shift patterns and the resulting job losses, will come into action on 2 March 2009.
“Mini plant Oxford will be bringing in a new shift pattern in response to continuing volatile market conditions,” a BMW statement said. “As of Monday 2 March, the plant will go from a three-shift to a two-shift pattern, operating five days per week instead of the current seven.”
“The company regrets that this change will result in the release of around 850 agency workers from the business,” it added.
Good luck former Mini agency staff, use your skills elsewhere, set up your own businesses, take the retraining on offer whatever you do, don’t sit back and wait for Mini to re-employ you, it may not happen for a long time. 
Sarah
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You did not mention that most of these had been there 5 years or more and has come completely out of the blue, as for starting up there own businesses THE BANKS ARE NOT LENDING ANYMORE. Its just another example how prople are treated with no respect by big business, surely they must have had this planned for a while. To turn up to work as normal for shift then told it would be your last one is cruel. And I aggree with the unions its a disgrace
thought you might to Sarah
Cheers
Michael http://www.yourtrustedtradesmen.com
The banks are not lending anymore, but local government and other organisations have enterprise schemes in place where grants can be obtained. Banks rarely lend to business start ups in the first place, the prefer businesses with an established trading pattern under their belt and one which has assets for them to seize in the event that something goes wrong.
A temp worker is exactly that, and they know they can be dropped on a days notice, thats the downside to being a temp.
BMW have no choice but to protect its full time workers first over the agency workers, its what they are required to do legally. You can be upset, I can be upset, the unions can be upset but the sad fact of life is, a temp has very few rights
anyone considering long term temping has to have a back up plan in case it goes wrong, just like a business needs an exit plan, just in case that goes wrong.
I advise anyone who has recently been laid off to contact their local authorities, enterprise agencies and Business Link in their area. Don’t sit back and wait for anyone else, do your own thing and support yourself. You can only rely on yourself. Sorry if thats harsh to read, but we relied on the banks and look where that got us!
Be honest Sarah did not know about the enterprise scheme, its not ver well advertised.
Thanks for highlighting that, I’m sure that will be of some use to people who read this blog.
Regards
Michael
http://www.yourtrustedtradesmen.com