Job fears as Holden cuts production again

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Car maker Holden says it will cut another 10 days of production at its manufacturing plant at Elizabeth in Adelaide's northern suburbs.

Amid falling car industry sales and global financial uncertainty, it will force workers to use more leave entitlements as it reduces production during April.

Since late last year it has lost 25 production days and says there will be 10 more days of downtime around Easter.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union had talks with Holden management today to try to firm up whether any jobs would go from the Elizabeth facility.

Parent company General Motors announced last month that it would cut 47,000 jobs worldwide, prompting fears about Adelaide car jobs.

Union state secretary John Camillo says Holden's 3,400 South Australian workers want to know if their jobs are safe.

"The only thing we know is there are rumours in regards to white collars to lose their jobs and so on and another shift to disappear out of [the] Elizabeth operation," he said.

Holden's workforce has just returned to the factory this week after the latest production shutdown.

There is concern the further Holden shutdowns will flow on to the components industry.

Joe Kane from the Australian Workers Union says many components workers have no annual leave left as a buffer.

"You've got a month, half the month is non-production, the other half is no pay," he said.

"I don't know how anyone or anybody can sustain that sort of pressure on their families etcetera."

Holden announced late last year that it planned to install a second production line at Elizabeth to produce a four-cylinder car alongside its bigger vehicles.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...section=justin