cwhast
14-06-2006, 09:34 PM
SA car parts maker to axe 86 jobs
One of South Australia's major car component makers is being forced to cut jobs for the second time in four months.
The Tenneco group of companies will axe 86 workers, claiming it cannot match overseas competition.
Workers were given the bad news at shift change this afternoon.
Most of the jobs were to be cut at the O'Sullivan Beach Walker exhaust plant, though 20 will go at the Monroe factory at Clovelly Park, which manufactures shock absorbers.
In February, 75 jobs were cut and rising petrol prices were blamed. This time, the axe has fallen because Toyota has decided to import components from Asia.
"No company likes to lose business and certainly we don't like the impact it has on our employment," a Tenneco spokesperson said.
"We've worked with them for many years and it is obviously very sad to see it go overseas."
Workers said they were not surprised and had been expecting bad news for months.
"What can we do?" a worker told 7News. "This is Australian manufacturing all over, we're losing jobs hand over fist."
"What the present government is doing to us isn't really much of a prospect."
The Australian Manufacturers Workers Union wants the government to take action.
"We want the Federal government to sit down with all parties concerned and develop a policy that allows an Australian industry like this one to develop highly skilled jobs for Australian people," a union spokesperson said.
The company plans to offer voluntary redundancy packages before it has to resort to sackings. It has assured employees that this is the last round of job cuts for the year.
One of South Australia's major car component makers is being forced to cut jobs for the second time in four months.
The Tenneco group of companies will axe 86 workers, claiming it cannot match overseas competition.
Workers were given the bad news at shift change this afternoon.
Most of the jobs were to be cut at the O'Sullivan Beach Walker exhaust plant, though 20 will go at the Monroe factory at Clovelly Park, which manufactures shock absorbers.
In February, 75 jobs were cut and rising petrol prices were blamed. This time, the axe has fallen because Toyota has decided to import components from Asia.
"No company likes to lose business and certainly we don't like the impact it has on our employment," a Tenneco spokesperson said.
"We've worked with them for many years and it is obviously very sad to see it go overseas."
Workers said they were not surprised and had been expecting bad news for months.
"What can we do?" a worker told 7News. "This is Australian manufacturing all over, we're losing jobs hand over fist."
"What the present government is doing to us isn't really much of a prospect."
The Australian Manufacturers Workers Union wants the government to take action.
"We want the Federal government to sit down with all parties concerned and develop a policy that allows an Australian industry like this one to develop highly skilled jobs for Australian people," a union spokesperson said.
The company plans to offer voluntary redundancy packages before it has to resort to sackings. It has assured employees that this is the last round of job cuts for the year.