Update with Holden @ Elizabeth - closing down more likely??

[HamaTime™]

I'd take a pay freeze in that situation. As said avove, $50 an hour to build cars ? Why is holden paying those kind of dollars for essentially a trained labour job?

Exactly. It's a disgrace that when manufacturing and companies are suffering because of overpaid non-skilled workers.

 

[adz_vy]

No I don't want a wage cut I would rather the company close down and I lose my job.... Not sure if serious orr..

 

[Reaper]

Not sure what to think on this. Maybe Holden are capitalizing on Ford's departure and ####ing with everybody's heads or they might be serious. Only 4 months ago they were right along with the "we're in for the long haul" mantra with 3 platforms being guaranteed till the early 20's but things have changed very much in the last 6 weeks. Externally things if anything have gone in Holden's favour with an overall favourable launch of their flagship and the dollar headed south and looking like it will stay on that trend for at least the medium term.

I get the feeling that the NA export SS will be very important. For Australian manufacturing to survive it needs to be successful, but not too successful. Sell too few and it's curtains. Sell too many and they'll move it to Oshawa or some other NA plant. I for one love the big RWD GT type sedans and would be very sad if it were to leave Australia. Lets face it, your E63 AMG's and M5's are way out of the reach of near everybody and that'd leave the 300C. Not much of a choice really.

 

[Sandman]

$50/hr is just ridiculous, I've got a mate who works on the production line at toyota here in Melbourne. He's been there a few years now and was saying he thought he was doing pretty well for "just a factory worker" at $35/hr. $50 is just over the top and stupid from both Holden and the workers perspective.

 

[Clutchy]

So who has the proof holden are paying 50 a hour its said apparently ther average auto worker is on 50 nothing about Holden but someone says his mate is on 35 at Toyota ain't he a average auto worker so that kills the apparently 50 a hour rumour don't it.

 

[Big-Al]

I love my Holden but seriously, if they can't turn a profit, quit suckling from the tax payers teats and piss off to Asia. It's going to happen eventually anyway.

 

[vr94ss]

So who has the proof holden are paying 50 a hour its said apparently ther average auto worker is on 50 nothing about Holden but someone says his mate is on 35 at Toyota ain't he a average auto worker so that kills the apparently 50 a hour rumour don't it.

I'm inclined to support your scepticism. The median factory worker is on about 40k, I doubt you get 2.5 times more to assemble vehicles.

 

[HamaTime™]

So who has the proof holden are paying 50 a hour? its said apparently ther average auto worker is on 50, nothing about Holden, but someone says his mate is on 35 at Toyota. ain't he a average auto worker? so that kills the apparently 50 a hour rumour don't it.

Punctuation would have saved me reading your post 40 times to try and understand what you were saying.

See quote above?

 

[Torborg]

I smell bs from holden here. The cynic in me tells me that they're trying to reduce future redundancy payments and win the PR war, but will shut down either way. That way, they can blame the shutdown on the big bad unions and greedy employees. :hmmm:

I'd accept the wage cut only on the condition that redundancy conditions/payments are beefed up if they shut down or cut manufacturing over the next 10 years.

 

[c2105026]

$50/ an hour was apparently what ford people were getting (as discussed/suggested on another thread from a seemingly reputable source) wouldn't holden be similar?

$35/hr seems much more reasonable at Toyota. May that's the reason why they are bit more profitable and have no thoughts of pulling the pin....yet.....local Toyota factory was actually featured recently on National Geographic Channel's 'Megafactories'. It'd seem a bit daft to close it down 3 yrs later...