Factory workers announce all out strike in bid to save 500 jobs

Workers at an engineering factory in Birmingham are to launch an all-out strike over the site’s closure.

Unite members at the GKN Drivelines factory are set to begin continuous strike action from 27 September as part of their ongoing battle to keep it open.

In January the parent company Melrose GKN announced that the factory, which makes drivelines for much of the UK’s automotive sector, would close in 2022 with the loss of more than 500 jobs, with the work being offshored to Poland and France.

Earlier this month Unite announced that its members had recorded a 95% yes vote in favour of strike action.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “GKN’s cynical attempt to close its Erdrington plant is a disgrace.

“We will not stand by and let this employer offshore British jobs without a fight.  We will leave no stone unturned in the ongoing battle to ensure the future of the Birmingham factory and our members.”

Since 2018 GKN has been owned by Melrose.

In response to fears that GKN was going to be asset stripped, it promised shareholders and investors that it would establish a ‘UK manufacturing powerhouse’.

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